https://bleacherreport.com/articles...-nfl-players-are-just-mad-about-nba-contracts
Los Angeles Rams running back
Todd Gurley suggested Thursday that
NFL players are somewhat envious of the massive contracts NBA players are landing.
When asked about the disparity by Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times, Gurley said the following: "Us NFL players, we're just mad about NBA contracts right now, that's all. I just want like $80 million. Those guys are getting like $150 [million]. It's crazy. It's insane."
The question about contracts was posed to Gurley due to comments he made in a recent interview with
TMZ Sports.
Gurley responded affirmatively when asked if NFL players should have guaranteed contracts. He was then asked what could be done to make it a reality, which led to him saying, "Lockout in a couple years."
The NFL's collective bargaining agreement expires in 2021, and it stands to reason that guaranteed contracts could be among the biggest talking points.
Gurley has two years remaining on his current deal before free agency. He will earn just over $2.3 million in 2018 before making the leap to $9.6 million in 2019, per
Spotrac.
The biggest current contract in the NFL is the five-year, $150 million deal with $94.5 million guaranteed that was signed by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan in May, according to
Spotrac.
By comparison, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook is playing under a
five-year deal worth $205 million.
Since the richest contracts in the NFL are reserved for quarterbacks, Gurley is even further from NBA money than many.
Falcons running back Devonta Freeman's five-year,
$41.25 million contract is the biggest for a running back in the NFL currently.
There's a good chance Gurley will surpass that if he remains healthy considering he finished second in the NFL MVP voting last season, but it may not even be enough to get him a quarter of the way to the salaries of the NBA's biggest stars.
