If it were up to L.A. Rams running back Todd Gurley, NFL players would have all of the money in their contracts guaranteed.
Gurley was asked by TMZ sports on Wednesday what would need to happen in order to get guaranteed contracts into the NFL. Gurley responded very candidly.
“Lockout. Lockout in a couple of years.”
Gurley then appeared on CBS Sports Networks’ “Tiki and Tierney” on Thursday where he was asked about it again. This time, Gurley was more open about his answer, going as far as to say that he believes players are ready to strike.
“I think so, man,” he said. “Honestly, we don’t really have a choice but to try to fight to try to get that done or whatever it is, we just have to come together as players, as a PA. But we’ll figure something out for sure. We definitely gotta fix this situation because there’s no excuse for a C-level player in the NBA to get paid as much as the best running back in the NFL or the best receiver in the NFL. It just doesn’t add up.”
This is not the first time that a lockout has been mentioned when the current Collective Bargaining Agreement in 2021. NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith told SI.com that a lockout in 2021 is almost “a virtual certainty”.
This topic is also coming off the heels of newly chartered territory in the NFL. Currently, the NFL is the only one of the four major North American sports to not have fully guaranteed contracts. However, that changed this offseason when Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins signed a three year, $84 million fully guaranteed deal. In fact, Cousins is the only veteran that is on a multi-year deal that is completely guaranteed.
The discussion of contract guarantees figures to be a major issue during negotiations for the next CBA. If a work stoppage is imminent, players need to prepare to give up part of their playing career in order to get what they want.
Featured image by Rich Schultz / AP
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