Earlier this offseason, we learned an independent arbitrator concluded that NFL owners (and the league office) did not collude in an effort to reduce contract guarantees, especially in regards to quarterback contracts. A recent investigation by Pablo Torre led to the release of a 61-page document that detailed the arbitrator’s findings. While the investigation was inspired by the fallout from Deshaun Watson‘s contract, anecdotes surrounding other notable QBs have started coming out in the laundry.
[RELATED: Russell Wilson Asked Broncos For Fully Guaranteed Deal]
Following a peek behind the curtain surrounding Russell Wilson‘s past negotiations with the Broncos, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com has uncovered some notable correspondence following the Kyler Murray extension. Specifically, two owners may have hinted that Murray’s deal influenced Justin Herbert‘s eventual extension with the Chargers.
Four months after Watson inked his fully guaranteed extension, Murray signed a new deal with the Cardinals that guaranteed $160MM of the $230.5MM total. When word of this extension got leaked to the media, Chargers owner Dean Spanos texted Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill to congratulate him on the specific terms of the deal. Per Florio, Bidwell noted that his front office managed to limit “the fully guaranteed money and have some pretty good language,” with Spanos responding that the Murray contract would “[help] us for our QB next year.”
“I think many teams will be happy with it once they have a chance to review,” Bidwell responded. “Cleveland really screwed things up, but I was resolved to keep the guaranteed [money] relatively ‘low.’”
As Florio notes, this exchange would seem to contradict the findings of arbitrator Christopher Droney. The Cardinals and Chargers are intended to operate as competitors, leading Florio to question why the duo may be coordinating. Florio believes the smoking gun is Spanos admitting that the Murray contract will have an influence on Herbert’s eventual deal. On the flip side, Droney opines that a QB extension would naturally influence future deals, and the correspondence between the two owners doesn’t constitute any circumstantial evidence.
“These communications are more in line with ‘independent response to common stimuli, or mere interdependence unaided by an advance understanding among the parties,’ rather than participation in a collusive agreement,” Droney wrote (per Florio).
Herbert signed his extension almost exactly a year after Murray. The Chargers QB temporarily reset the QB market, and he got $218MM of his $262MM total guaranteed.
For what it’s worth, Droney did note that “the NFL Management Council, with the blessing of the Commissioner, encouraged the 32 NFL Clubs to reduce guarantees in veterans’ contracts” following the signing of Watson’s extension. While players likely have little recourse, there may be some eventual fallout following this recent investigation.