Redskins' Duke Ihenacho sounds off on NFL salaries
NBA teams dished out a whopping amount of lucrative contracts on Wednesday that totaled $1.4 billion, prompting some in other leagues to take notice.
Specifically, Washington Redskins safety Duke Ihenacho, who criticized the NFL for its minimum salary numbers.
All this guaranteed money NBA throwing. Meanwhile the NFL, which generates the most money wont even make the league minimum $1M
— Duke Ihenacho (@NachoLyfe) July 1, 2015
Yes $1M minimum. That means every single player's salary in the NFL should start there. Highest risk of injury..brain trauma, richest league
— Duke Ihenacho (@NachoLyfe) July 1, 2015
Ihenacho added that the majority of the league shares his feelings.
We players don't even speak our opinion on this because we don't wanna be fined or punished or whatever. But most of us feel this way.
— Duke Ihenacho (@NachoLyfe) July 1, 2015
The 26-year-old makes some valid points. NFL players don't have the luxury of guaranteed contracts and often get released before playing out the entirety of their deals, while putting their bodies at risk in a dangerous sport.
As an example, reports say the Cleveland Cavaliers are closing in on a five-year, $80-million contract with Tristan Thompson, who is arguably the fourth-best player on the team.
Conversely, DeMarco Murray, arguably one of the NFL's best running backs, inked a five-year, $42-million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles and only $18 million of that is guaranteed.
The NBA salary cap is expected to skyrocket when the league's new television deal kicks in, with some projecting it will rise to over $100 million by 2017. Teams are simply taking advantage of that fact right now and players are starting to cash in.
If NFL players want to improve their lot, a strike may be the only option to force some significant changes.