New documents show NFL leadership urged owners to reduce guaranteed money in player contracts during a 2022 meeting. Commissioner Roger Goodell supported the plan.
On January 14, 2025, arbitrator Christopher Droney dismissed the NFL Players Association's complaint. Players had claimed teams worked together to limit guaranteed contracts after Deshaun Watson's huge $230 million Browns deal.
"Agree with raising with a big concern that this will erode a key aspect of our CBA that resisted guaranteed money except as clubs determined on their own," wrote Goodell in an email to then-NFL counsel Jeff Pash, said Goodell to Defector.
Management Council slides cautioned owners about guaranteed deals becoming the norm. However, the presentation emphasized teams needed to make their own contract decisions.
Three major quarterback contracts triggered the lawsuit - Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray, and Lamar Jackson. While the NFLPA wanted changes and compensation, they couldn't prove actual team coordination.
Watson's Browns contract led to significant shifts in NFL payment structures. Since then, most quarterbacks getting extensions have followed standard formats with signing bonuses instead of full guarantees.
Pay patterns changed after Watson signed. Though trends developed, no concrete evidence showed teams acting together.
While the NFL was more open with information than usual, teams showed they still made their own decisions after the owners meeting.
The judge found clear evidence the NFL wanted to limit guarantees. But the case fell apart without proof of actual team agreements.
Tough rules about proving collusion in the collective bargaining agreement ultimately defeated the players' case. Legal experts point to this strict requirement as the deciding factor.
