On paper, former quarterback Robert Griffin III earned over $41 million throughout his NFL career.
However, he earned less than that amount because part of that money was earned through incentives.
He must hit certain conditions to get the full amount.
Instead, he got a little over $33 million, which is still a good amount of money.
But that extra $8 million could be handy, especially if the player suffered a career-ending injury.
After all, football is still a highly-physical sport, and players are putting their bodies on the line.
Unfortunately, most NFL player contracts are not fully guaranteed.
That concern came to light again after the Carolina Panthers fired Matt Rhule.
Griffin shared his take on giving the players the entire pie.
Players contracts need to be guaranteed like coaches. Matt Rhule is owed more than 40 million dollars from the Panthers after they fired him 3 years into a 7 year deal. They are paying him not to coach. Players put their bodies and minds on the line and deserve guaranteed deals.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) October 10, 2022
Griffin tweeted, “Players contracts need to be guaranteed like coaches. Matt Rhule is owed more than 40 million dollars from the Panthers after they fired him 3 years into a 7-year deal. They are paying him not to coach. Players put their bodies and minds on the line and deserve guaranteed deals.”
The Panthers will still pay the remainder of the seven-year, $62 million contract he signed in 2020.
In contrast, Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson will get a guaranteed $161 million out of the $245 million contract extension.
Even Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes may earn only $141 million of his $450 million deal.
Fully-Guaranteed Contracts Are An NFL Outlier
Aside from rookie-scale contracts and franchise tags, it’s rare to see fully-guaranteed contracts in the NFL.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins signed a three-year, $84 million deal after the 2017 season.
Likewise, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson got a five-year, $230 million fully-guaranteed deal.
Lamar Jackson also negotiated a fully-guaranteed deal with the Baltimore Ravens.
The team refused the proposal, leaving him with no long-term extension while playing under the Ravens’ fifth-year option this season.
NEXT: NFL Analyst Reveals Why The Panthers May Trade Top Players