The secret ruling on a 2022 grievance case filed by the NFLPA was publicly revealed June 24. The contents of the ruling revealed collusion that could end up costing Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray over $70 million on his current contract.
Former ESPN journalist Pablo Torre revealed the 61-page ruling on his “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast alongside co-host Mike Florio.
Murray, one of the quarterbacks claimed by the NFLPA to have been robbed of a fully guaranteed contract due to collusion among the league’s owners, was at the center of this grievance. Torre was able to read directly from a text message sent by Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill to Chargers owner Dean Spanos.
“These QB deals are expensive, but we limited the fully guaranteed money and have some pretty good language. …I was resolved to keep the guarantee relatively low,” Torre read.
The text exchange indicates that Bidwill was actively discussing a lower payday for Murray with other owners in the league, leading to accusations that owners have been working together to keep guarantees lower league-wide.
Murray signed a $230 million contract extension during the 2022 offseason, including $159 million in guarantees. That is just over $70 million of the total contract value that could become lost to Murray should the team cut him due to injuries or any other reason.
Deshaun Watson Contract Sparked Resistance Against Murray
While Murray’s extension was being negotiated, the Cleveland Browns acquired quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans and gave him a fully guaranteed $230,000,000 contract.
NFL owners around the league were threatened by the Watson contract and what it could mean for the future of their bottom lines. A presentation at the 2022 NFL owners meeting highlights this fear.
“If guarantees continue to grow in both amount and number of players, then there’s a risk that they become the norm in contracts regardless of player quality,” read a slide from the presentation.
In 2022, Murray had just come off two straight Pro Bowl selections and his first career playoff appearance. Meanwhile, Watson had not played for the entire 2021 season; this fact led to Murray’s agent feeling that his client deserved a similar, if not better, contract.
“After the Deshaun Watson contract was fully guaranteed, Kyler’s agent Erik Burkhardt sent a new proposal to the Arizona Cardinals,” said Torre. “Mr. Burkhardt believed Mr. Murray was better and more deserving than Mr. Watson.”
In the end, the NFL’s strategy to suppress contracts similar to Watson’s was successful, and Murray forfeited his demands for a fully guaranteed contract.
NFL Will Not Face Consequences Despite Findings
Despite the damning text exchanges between owners and the acknowledgement of collusion to suppress guarantees, the NFL will not face any financial consequences.
This is a surprise to many, as the arbitrator for the case, Christopher Droney, confirmed that the NFL Management Council encouraged teams to limit guaranteed contracts.
“There is little question that the NFL Management Council, with the blessing of the commissioner, encouraged the 32 NFL clubs to reduce guarantees in veterans’ contracts at the March 2022 annual owners meeting,” said Droney.
Droney stated that while the NFL office encouraged this behavior, no individual owners or teams were found to have acted on encouragement.
Many players, however, will be wondering what other behind-closed-doors conversations are regarding their contracts and what they can do to combat the collusion.
kyler murray
GettyKyler Murray may be the victim of NFL collusion.