Why Guaranteed Money Isn't Always Guaranteed

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Friends,

Simply put, Gerald McCoy is having a rough week.

The 10-year NFL veteran was brought in to bolster the Dallas Cowboys defensive line, but suffered a season-ending injury during practice and proceeded to get cut within 24 hours.

McCoy, drafted 3rd overall in the 2010 NFL draft out of Oklahoma, spent the first 9 years of his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A cap casualty in 2018, McCoy was picked up by the division rival Carolina Panthers on a one-year prove-it deal. He played well in Carolina, and parlayed his performance into a three-year, $18.3 million contract with Dallas.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as well in Dallas. Before McCoy even had a chance to get acquainted with his new teammates and coaching staff, he tore his right quad, a season-ending injury.

The most frustrating part? The injury happened during a completely useless part of practice for McCoy. A freak injury for sure, but I think it’s pretty obvious starting players of his caliber shouldn’t be playing practice dummy either.

You can watch a video of the injury below. It’s not gruesome, just sad.

As if a season ending injury wasn’t bad enough, McCoy was forcefully reacquainted with the two most important rules of professional sports.

1. Professional sports are a business, treat it as such.

2. Guaranteed money doesn’t actually mean it’s guaranteed.

Shortly after his injury, McCoy met with Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones expressing a positive attitude. He publicly voiced his intent to rehab with the team and support younger players throughout the year. It didn’t matter - the Cowboys cut McCoy within hours.

The NFL is a business, I think most people understand that by now. Whether you’re the face of a franchise or a practice squad player, NFL teams have consistently shown us time and time again that they will do what is in their best interest. As the saying goes, “always look out for yourself”.

Here’s a great breakdown at the inconsistencies fans show when a player decides to make a business decision vs. a team doing the same. It really makes you think differently about guys holding out, demanding new contracts, etc.

The second rule, guaranteed money isn’t always guaranteed, is a little more nuanced. On the surface, McCoy’s contract included $9M in guaranteed money. The issue? McCoy will be able to keep his $3M signing bonus, but the Cowboys specifically built a quad injury protection into his contract, based on previous injury history, which voids the remaining $6M in guaranteed money.

Mike Garafolo, of the NFL Network, was able to dig up the specific language. For you contract junkies, you can read it here:

We’re often presented with these massive contracts - hearing that a large percentage, if not all, is guaranteed. McCoy is just another example that the devil is in the details. Just ask Antonio Brown, who had $30M in guaranteed money with the Oakland Raiders and then a $15M contract with the New England Patriots. His total payout? Due to “conduct detrimental to the team”, Brown received just $158k (Source).

The situations of Gerald McCoy and Antonio Brown are completely different, yet the same. As we move into a world of uncertainty, professional athletes need to watch out for themselves, withhold trust in the team, and secure as much money up front as possible.

No one looks out for you better than yourself.

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Extra Credit

Unlike the rest of us, Baltimore Ravens WR Marquise Brown was intentionally adding weight during quarantine. In an effort to increase his playing weight from 157 pounds to 180 pounds, Brown ate 6 meals a day totaling 4,000 calories.

Take a look at the menu, could you do it?

(Photo Credit: ESPN)

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