The NFL has certainly become a very lucrative sport. Players in the NFL, and in all professional sports, make incredible amounts of money. For example, Trevor Lawrence, who just signed a five-year, $275 million contract, is set to make about $3 million per game over the next five years. This does not include bonuses or contract negotiations.
Those numbers are outlandish, but some players don't think it's enough: 19% of players are opposed to adding games to the NFL season, primarily due to salary and health concerns.
Perhaps the Steelers' DeShon Elliott has been the most outspoken on the matter.
DeSean Elliott thinks the NFL is trying to exploit players
Kansas City, Missouri, USA, January 13, 2024. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) hands the ball to side judge Don Willard (58) after being hit in the helmet by Miami Dolphins safety DeShawn Elliott (21) during the 2024 AFC Wild Card Game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Credit: Denny Medley – USA TODAY Sports
It's no secret that the NFL is rapidly moving towards adding an 18th game, which would make sense in a number of ways, including having an equal number of home and away games, allowing for more parody within the league, and even moving the Super Bowl back a year to President's Day weekend (just do this!).
But not everyone is on board. ESPN reported that safety Da'Monte Kazee was being interviewed about the possibility of adding an 18th game. Kazee gave a fairly standard answer before Elliott interjected, “I'm not going to play in that game. [be against the additional game]”…My salary is not enough!”
Elliott is currently under contract for two years and $6 million, which is standard for an average starting safety in the NFL.
But is he right? Should players get paid more for playing extra games? Let's examine this question.
Practice and games
Green Bay Packers tight end Robert Tounian (85) gets a reception for a first down against Detroit Lions safety DeShon Elliott (5) during a football game at Lambeau Field on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
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There is debate as to whether practice time and training really contribute to an NFL salary. On the one hand, players spend countless hours during the offseason training and preparing for actual games, so they should be compensated for that. But at the same time, if a player doesn't perform well during games, the training doesn't really mean anything and he won't have a career.
All things considered, 99% of a player's salary is determined by performance. So if you compare a 17-game season to an 18-game season, the extra games only add 5.6% to their salary. And even though players aren't getting paid to train, they still spend a lot of time training. So, one extra game doesn't really add up when you consider all the effort the players put in to get ready to play.
Breaking down the contract
For the sake of this article, let’s look at DeSean Elliott’s stats and his salary. Again, his salary is $3 million per season. Last year, he recorded 82 total tackles, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery, and 7 pass deflections.
That means Elliott was making $176,470 per game while averaging 4.8 tackles, 0.4 pass deflections, 0.05 interceptions and fumble recoveries. This is not a criticism of Elliott; he's a very solid NFL player, but any player who is saying they're not getting paid to play extra games should look at their own report card and ask themselves if their actual performance is worth complaining about not being paid enough.
And how many of us aren't being asked to make 5.6% more than what's actually written in our contracts? Sorry for Elliott and the other 19% of NFL players who think that's unfair, but welcome to the real world.
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