OT (sorta): is the 2 year deal the new 4 year deal in the NFL?

[hawkdave007]

I noticed the NFL Iowa guys getting 2 year deals.

A 4 year deal used to be a standard "multi-year contract", but these days it seems like that's more of a "long-term contract", relatively speaking.

Are these guys getting the best they can get? Strategically are they playing it smart and banking on being healthy in two years, then re-upping at a higher price?

 

[Gary-Waterloo]

In my opinion, I think teams want shorter contracts to have cap flexibility for most players but would want longer contracts for the stars to spread the guaranteed money out. The stars like the shorter contracts because they don't want to be underpaid in a couple of years. With how much is guaranteed right now, more players are willing to take the risk of shorter contracts because they are somewhat protected. That wasn't as much the case in the past.

 

[DutchyFunStar]

NFL contracts are not guaranteed, so 4 year deals were essentially a 1 year auto rewneing deal as long as you were performing. The last year or two on most deals were kind of irrelevant. That is why a lot of veteran deals were so front loaded and the final years were little money, because they probably wouldn't happen.

 

[mikesright]

Unless a player has a giant signing bonus and deal in general, less is more right now because the CBA is set to increase significantly in the next few years. Most deals don’t guarantee beyond a year or two anyways because teams don’t want to be on the hook for injuries or underperformance.

So if you’re a free agent in NFL’s middle class, 2 years is just about right - get 1/4 of the deal as a signing bonus, and it basically gives you two years of security with an opportunity to get back to market, which is about the best you could expect anyways