Maybe I am honestly getting soft in my old age, or maybe I've seen too many documentaries and movies that show what happens to these young men's bodies and minds as they get older and I'm starting to feel guilty about what I am cheering on.
And it is not like the following articles put me over the top, but they did get me thinking enough to want to write something here to get some feedback/wisdom from you guys who will likely have a greater in depth understanding than me on the subject.
https://deadspin.com/why-only-the-nfl-doesnt-guarantee-contracts-1797020799
https://deadspin.com/the-football-world-cant-even-see-the-nfls-rotten-core-1827905463
...or maybe I just want DC Tom to call me an idiot. ?
Look, I don't know the ins and outs of the cap and I don't know the ins and outs of accounting. I do know that the NFL has much larger rosters, much shorter seasons and an employee base that is much more at risk to getting injured, which would ironically enough go against having a cap.
I also hate the coasting that seems to go on in other sports when they get these deals. (Former Sabre Really Laimo I'm looking at you for one).
...can't it be looked at, though?
All that said, what if the league lowered the players cut of the revenue to start (just hear me out), but made that lowered amount fully guaranteed. However, limit the full guarantee to all the contracts for the years a player is 30 or under. I'm not saying for contracts made before a player is 30 or under, but rather the years the players are under 30. Contracts also wouldn't be weighted, they would be on the average. Therefore if a player signs a 5 year deal at 29 years old for 40 million dollars at the very least 16 million is guaranteed, although it could be more depending upon the quality of the player.
The added savings of reducing the cap, along with league revenues, could be put into a league pool, wherein if careers were ended early on (under 30) the money would be paid out and the teams could get cap relief.
I know holes are going to be easily shot into the suggestions above, but I also know that even after just thinking about this briefly, SOME ideas can at least come up.
I look forward to all your thoughtful comments, and even some of the other ones. ?
Go Bills.