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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Target Hovland, Jaeger bets in Memorial Tournament
Simms' '25 QB Countdown: Jared Goff Chris Simms explains to Ahmed Fareed why Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff and his "fearless decision making" are in the "Scheme Dream" tier of his 2025 QB Countdown. 8:34 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Booze bans, homework and the end of the world clause: the NFL's oddest contracts
As contract clauses go, this one is pretty painful: Packers guard Sean Rhyan missed out on $2m after falling two snaps shy of picking up a bonus. The NFL has a built-in bonus pool designed to reward late draftees who see the field early in their careers. One of those performance benchmarks is a player's volume of snaps. If they cross the 35% mark, they receive a chunky bonus. But Rhyan fell two snaps shy of that mark last season, missing the chance to see his base salary more than double. The performance escalator is one of the quirks of the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement. With the CBA, rookie pay scale and hard salary cap, the NFL is typically a less chaotic contractual league than others in North America. There are none of the odd riders in players' contracts – the unlimited sushi, 30-year contracts, or Springsteen guarantees – that litter other sports. Careers are short. Leverage is fleeting. The language is standardized. However, Rhyan's situation is far from a one-off. The homework clause Few positions in sports are as mentally taxing as quarterback. They have to ID and break down tricky coverages and deliver throws on target and in rhythm. It requires thousands of physical and mental reps. Advertisement Peyton Manning could squeeze in upwards of 40 hours of extra tape study a week, leading to an arms race among young quarterbacks keen to show they were keeping up with the best. When he was drafted No 1 overall by the Rams, Jared Goff was so overwhelmed by the demands of the position that he built a film-watching bunker in his home. 'I watch tape all day Monday, all day Tuesday, Wednesday we practice, Thursday we practice, Friday we practice, then I come home and watch film, then Saturday before the game, I watch film, and then Sunday morning, I watch film,' Tom Brady said in 2022. 'It's almost soothing. I can go four or five hours without getting up from the chair.' But not everyone is so … dedicated. Or at least their team doesn't trust that they have Brady's inner drive. In 2022, the Cardinals signed Kyler Murray to a five-year, $230m extension, making him the second-highest-paid player in the league. As part of the contract, the Cardinals included an 'independent study' clause that mandated Murray watch four hours of film a week, independent of the team. Arizona planned to include a tracker in their team-issued tablet to ensure Murray's focus was on the game tape, rather than movies or video games. The addendum allowed the Cardinals to terminate Murray's contract if he didn't complete his homework. Why would you hand $230m to a player you weren't sure was doing the bare minimum for the position? Good question! After the news leaked, the Cardinals decided to remove the clause. But the stain still lives on; Murray continues to be hit with allegations that he isn't as focused or engaged as the position's elite, despite ripping off the best season of his career in 2024. The Dez Rules Jerry Jones operates in a league of his own. In his 36 years as the Cowboys' owner, no one has given more leeway to rogue personalities. But no one has enforced such strict rules, either. Advertisement Some of the most intense treatment was reserved for Dez Bryant. After his 2011 arrest for assault, the Cowboys had their budding star receiver sign a 'security agreement' to try to rein in his off-the-field activity. The team did not officially change Bryant's contract, but he signed a three-year, four-page agreement with longtime Cowboys fixer David Wells. The 'Dez Rules' set out a series of guidelines: Bryant would be followed by a three-person security detail whenever he was away from the Cowboys' training base. He would be driven to and from practice by Cowboys personnel. He would attend two mandated counselling sessions a week. He was banned from drinking alcohol. He was barred from attending strip clubs, given a midnight curfew, and only allowed to attend clubs where veteran Cowboys security staffers moonlighted as door staff. The rules even extended to putting security cameras inside Bryant's home, so that Wells could track who was coming and going. And Bryant had to cover the security bill himself, with the $17,000 a month cost deducted from his salary. As Bryant earned more trust, the rules were scaled back. But, as invasive as the rules were, they worked. Bryant put together the best three-year stretch of his career on the field while staying out of trouble off it. The Bryant episode was not Jones's first use of team-mandated security details – or the most invasive. 'No, this is [not] the strictest at all,' Jones said in 2012. Adam 'Pacman' Jones and Tank Johnson signed similar agreements with the team. But Pacman's was voided after he was suspended by the league for getting into a fight with his own bodyguard. Weight clauses Sometimes, going on a diet pays off. NFL teams have long included bonuses in players' contracts if they hit a target weight. Ordinarily, a target is set for the start of training camp with a further trigger at the end of preseason if a player hits their goal weight. The Patriots took things to a different level with offensive linemen Trent Brown, inserting a clause in his contract that would trigger a $1.5m payday over two seasons if he kept his weight down. Advertisement Brown, then the largest player in NFL history, was asked to trim down from 390lbs to 365lbs in time for the start of the 2022 season. Among other incentives, each week of preseason, Brown was given a new target to hit that would trigger a $75,000 bonus. At his weekly check-ins during the season, Brown could earn an extra $25,000 if he maintained his weight, totaling $450,000 in the regular season. Weight targets are standard practice for beefy offensive and defensive linemen. They're less common, however, with more svelte skill-position players. But when the Seahawks signed running back Eddie Lacy as a free agent in 2017, roughly 18% of his salary was tied to the scales. Lacy turned up for his free agent visit with Seattle 36lbs overweight. The team still signed him to a base salary of $2.1m but included another $2.1m as incentives, with $385,000 tied to his weight. Lacy was given six months to get himself in shape, and the bruising running back began shedding pounds in time for training camp – he even hired the founder of P90X to help him. Like Brown, Lacy was weighed at the start of camp, with bonuses heading his way each week as he burned more fat. Once he hit his target weight, Lacy was paid an extra $55,000 a month to stick to his playing weight. Not bad business if you can get it. Teams have even used weight clauses to engage in some draft chicanery. The NFL's complicated comp pick formula, which rewards teams with draft picks, doesn't take into account weight-related bonuses. The Eagles worked the system in 2018 when they signed receiver Mike Wallace. Wallace was a slender speedster, weighing around 200lbs for most of his career. To get around the comp pick formula, the Eagles signed Wallace to a reduced base salary and inserted a $585,000 bonus in his contract if he reported to training camp under 250 lbs. Whadya know? Wallace came in at 200lbs and pocketed the bonus. The move allowed the Eagles to sneak an extra sixth-round pick in the next year's draft by layering Wallace's contract in a way that kept it below the comp pick triggers. Akili Smith bets on himself (oops) The Bengals drafted Smith, a quarterback, No 3 overall in 1999, back before the NFL had a rookie scale that effectively tied a player's salary to where they were selected in the draft. Advertisement Smith held out for most of his rookie training camp while negotiating his contract (somehow, the Bengals are still in contract disputes with first-rounders today despite the rookie wage scale). He eventually agreed to a deal that converted most of his contract into performance incentives rather than upfront cash. Smith agreed to a deal that gave him a $10.8m signing bonus, below market value at the time, but that included up to $56m in performance incentives. Smith bet on himself to at least be competent as a rookie. Oops. One of the key details was a so-called 'escalation clause' that would trigger a $4m bonus if Smith threw for at least 1,600 yards in his rookie season, an easy target for a 16-game starter. But Smith never hit the figure. He was benched 11 games into his career after throwing for only 1,253 yards, in part because the Bengals were trying to avoid a hefty payday, and in part because they recognized they had a bust on their hands. Smith wound up starting only 17 games for the Bengals, throwing just five touchdowns with 13 interceptions. And he missed out on almost every performance clause he had negotiated. Four years later, he was out of the league. The end of the world clause When the league first entered the salary cap era, players did not trust that owners would hold up their end of the bargain. After he was drafted No 2 overall by the Seahawks in 1993, Rick Mirer asked for a stipulation in his contract that would guarantee he would be paid no matter what happened … including the end of the world. Advertisement Mirer's agents, Don Yee and Marvin Demoff, included language pinched from the banking world that the quarterback's contract would 'survive and remain effective from the date of execution of this contract up to and including the end of the world.' Mirer did get paid. He also lost a ton of games over his four years as a starter in Seattle.
The Guardian
23-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Booze bans, homework and the end of the world clause: the NFL's oddest contracts
As contract clauses go, this one is pretty painful: Packers guard Sean Rhyan missed out on $2m after falling two snaps shy of picking up a bonus. The NFL has a built-in bonus pool designed to reward late draftees who see the field early in their careers. One of those performance benchmarks is a player's volume of snaps. If they cross the 35% mark, they receive a chunky bonus. But Rhyan fell two snaps shy of that mark last season, missing the chance to see his base salary more than double. The performance escalator is one of the quirks of the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement. With the CBA, rookie pay scale and hard salary cap, the NFL is typically a less chaotic contractual league than others in North America. There are none of the odd riders in players' contracts – the unlimited sushi, 30-year contracts, or Springsteen guarantees – that litter other sports. Careers are short. Leverage is fleeting. The language is standardized. However, Rhyan's situation is far from a one-off. Few positions in sports are as mentally taxing as quarterback. They have to ID and break down tricky coverages and deliver throws on target and in rhythm. It requires thousands of physical and mental reps. Peyton Manning could squeeze in upwards of 40 hours of extra tape study a week, leading to an arms race among young quarterbacks keen to show they were keeping up with the best. When he was drafted No 1 overall by the Rams, Jared Goff was so overwhelmed by the demands of the position that he built a film-watching bunker in his home. 'I watch tape all day Monday, all day Tuesday, Wednesday we practice, Thursday we practice, Friday we practice, then I come home and watch film, then Saturday before the game, I watch film, and then Sunday morning, I watch film,' Tom Brady said in 2022. 'It's almost soothing. I can go four or five hours without getting up from the chair.' But not everyone is so … dedicated. Or at least their team doesn't trust that they have Brady's inner drive. In 2022, the Cardinals signed Kyler Murray to a five-year, $230m extension, making him the second-highest-paid player in the league. As part of the contract, the Cardinals included an 'independent study' clause that mandated Murray watch four hours of film a week, independent of the team. Arizona planned to include a tracker in their team-issued tablet to ensure Murray's focus was on the game tape, rather than movies or video games. The addendum allowed the Cardinals to terminate Murray's contract if he didn't complete his homework. Why would you hand $230m to a player you weren't sure was doing the bare minimum for the position? Good question! After the news leaked, the Cardinals decided to remove the clause. But the stain still lives on; Murray continues to be hit with allegations that he isn't as focused or engaged as the position's elite, despite ripping off the best season of his career in 2024. Jerry Jones operates in a league of his own. In his 36 years as the Cowboys' owner, no one has given more leeway to rogue personalities. But no one has enforced such strict rules, either. Some of the most intense treatment was reserved for Dez Bryant. After his 2011 arrest for assault, the Cowboys had their budding star receiver sign a 'security agreement' to try to rein in his off-the-field activity. The team did not officially change Bryant's contract, but he signed a three-year, four-page agreement with longtime Cowboys fixer David Wells. The 'Dez Rules' set out a series of guidelines: Bryant would be followed by a three-person security detail whenever he was away from the Cowboys' training base. He would be driven to and from practice by Cowboys personnel. He would attend two mandated counselling sessions a week. He was banned from drinking alcohol. He was barred from attending strip clubs, given a midnight curfew, and only allowed to attend clubs where veteran Cowboys security staffers moonlighted as door staff. The rules even extended to putting security cameras inside Bryant's home, so that Wells could track who was coming and going. And Bryant had to cover the security bill himself, with the $17,000 a month cost deducted from his salary. As Bryant earned more trust, the rules were scaled back. But, as invasive as the rules were, they worked. Bryant put together the best three-year stretch of his career on the field while staying out of trouble off it. The Bryant episode was not Jones's first use of team-mandated security details – or the most invasive. 'No, this is [not] the strictest at all,' Jones said in 2012. Adam 'Pacman' Jones and Tank Johnson signed similar agreements with the team. But Pacman's was voided after he was suspended by the league for getting into a fight with his own bodyguard. Sometimes, going on a diet pays off. NFL teams have long included bonuses in players' contracts if they hit a target weight. Ordinarily, a target is set for the start of training camp with a further trigger at the end of preseason if a player hits their goal weight. The Patriots took things to a different level with offensive linemen Trent Brown, inserting a clause in his contract that would trigger a $1.5m payday over two seasons if he kept his weight down. Brown, then the largest player in NFL history, was asked to trim down from 390lbs to 365lbs in time for the start of the 2022 season. Among other incentives, each week of preseason, Brown was given a new target to hit that would trigger a $75,000 bonus. At his weekly check-ins during the season, Brown could earn an extra $25,000 if he maintained his weight, totaling $450,000 in the regular season. Weight targets are standard practice for beefy offensive and defensive linemen. They're less common, however, with more svelte skill-position players. But when the Seahawks signed running back Eddie Lacy as a free agent in 2017, roughly 18% of his salary was tied to the scales. Lacy turned up for his free agent visit with Seattle 36lbs overweight. The team still signed him to a base salary of $2.1m but included another $2.1m as incentives, with $385,000 tied to his weight. Lacy was given six months to get himself in shape, and the bruising running back began shedding pounds in time for training camp – he even hired the founder of P90X to help him. Like Brown, Lacy was weighed at the start of camp, with bonuses heading his way each week as he burned more fat. Once he hit his target weight, Lacy was paid an extra $55,000 a month to stick to his playing weight. Not bad business if you can get it. Teams have even used weight clauses to engage in some draft chicanery. The NFL's complicated comp pick formula, which rewards teams with draft picks, doesn't take into account weight-related bonuses. The Eagles worked the system in 2018 when they signed receiver Mike Wallace. Wallace was a slender speedster, weighing around 200lbs for most of his career. To get around the comp pick formula, the Eagles signed Wallace to a reduced base salary and inserted a $585,000 bonus in his contract if he reported to training camp under 250 lbs. Whadya know? Wallace came in at 200lbs and pocketed the bonus. The move allowed the Eagles to sneak an extra sixth-round pick in the next year's draft by layering Wallace's contract in a way that kept it below the comp pick triggers. The Bengals drafted Smith, a quarterback, No 3 overall in 1999, back before the NFL had a rookie scale that effectively tied a player's salary to where they were selected in the draft. Smith held out for most of his rookie training camp while negotiating his contract (somehow, the Bengals are still in contract disputes with first-rounders today despite the rookie wage scale). He eventually agreed to a deal that converted most of his contract into performance incentives rather than upfront cash. Smith agreed to a deal that gave him a $10.8m signing bonus, below market value at the time, but that included up to $56m in performance incentives. Smith bet on himself to at least be competent as a rookie. Oops. One of the key details was a so-called 'escalation clause' that would trigger a $4m bonus if Smith threw for at least 1,600 yards in his rookie season, an easy target for a 16-game starter. But Smith never hit the figure. He was benched 11 games into his career after throwing for only 1,253 yards, in part because the Bengals were trying to avoid a hefty payday, and in part because they recognized they had a bust on their hands. Smith wound up starting only 17 games for the Bengals, throwing just five touchdowns with 13 interceptions. And he missed out on almost every performance clause he had negotiated. Four years later, he was out of the league. When the league first entered the salary cap era, players did not trust that owners would hold up their end of the bargain. After he was drafted No 2 overall by the Seahawks in 1993, Rick Mirer asked for a stipulation in his contract that would guarantee he would be paid no matter what happened … including the end of the world. Mirer's agents, Don Yee and Marvin Demoff, included language pinched from the banking world that the quarterback's contract would 'survive and remain effective from the date of execution of this contract up to and including the end of the world.' Mirer did get paid. He also lost a ton of games over his four years as a starter in Seattle.
USA Today
22-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Detroit Lions 2025 win total futures, over/under and odds
Detroit Lions 2025 win total futures, over/under and odds The Detroit Lions have the highest over/under for total wins in the NFC North this year, at 10.5. Lions: Win total odds & over/under NFL odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Thursday at 3:33 p.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Win total over/under: 10.5 10.5 Over 10.5 wins payout: -110 -110 Under 10.5 wins payout: -110 Lions 2025 schedule Get Lions tickets at StubHub! Lions 2024 splits The Lions went 15-2 last year and made the postseason, but were eliminated in the Divisional round. Detroit was the moneyline favorite 16 total times last season. They went 14-2 in those games. The Lions won the only game they played as the underdog last season. Detroit was undefeated away from home last season and was 7-2 at home. Lions 2024 player stats Jared Goff passed for 4,629 yards (272.3 per game), completing 72.4% of his passes, with 37 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 17 games last year. Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 1,412 yards (83.1 per game) and 16 touchdowns in 17 games. In the passing game, Gibbs scored four touchdowns, with 52 receptions for 517 yards. In 17 games a season ago, Amon-Ra St. Brown had 115 receptions for 1,263 yards (74.3 per game) and 12 touchdowns. David Montgomery ran for 775 yards (55.4 per game) and 12 touchdowns in 14 games. Montgomery also had 36 catches for 341 yards and zero TDs. Get Lions tickets at StubHub!
USA Today
21-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Lions vs. Giants Tickets: Week 12, Sunday, November 23
Lions vs. Giants Tickets: Week 12, Sunday, November 23 The Detroit Lions (0-0) hit the road to square off against the New York Giants (0-0) at Ford Field on Sunday, November 23, 2025. Buy tickets for this game on StubHub! Lions vs. Giants tickets for sale Lions vs. Giants game info Game date: Sunday, November 23, 2025 Sunday, November 23, 2025 Time: 1 p.m. ET 1 p.m. ET Venue: Ford Field Ford Field Location: Detroit, Michigan Detroit, Michigan TV: FOX Lions leaders In 17 games last season, Jared Goff threw for 4,629 yards (272.3 per game), with 37 TDs and 12 picks, and a completion percentage of 72.4%. Jahmyr Gibbs scored 16 touchdowns and picked up 1,412 yards (83.1 per game). Plus, Gibbs had 52 catches for 517 yards and four touchdowns. A season ago, Amon-Ra St. Brown had 115 catches for 1,263 yards (74.3 per game) and 12 touchdowns in 17 games. Lions schedule Lions vs. Vikings Lions vs. Commanders Lions vs. Eagles Next game: Lions vs. Giants Lions vs. Packers Lions vs. Cowboys Lions vs. Rams Giants leaders Russell Wilson threw for 2,482 yards last season for the Steelers, with 16 TDs and five INTs. He completed 63.7% of his passes, averaging 225.6 yards per game and 7.4 per attempt. Wilson also ran for two TDs and 155 yards. Malik Nabers put together a 2024 campaign that included 109 receptions (fifth in the NFL) for 1,204 yards (seventh in the NFL) and seven receiving TDs in 15 games. He was on the end of 170 targets and averaged 7.3 catches. Tyrone Tracy Jr. rushed for five TDs last season and totaled 839 rushing yards (49.4 per game and 4.4 per carry). Giants schedule Giants vs. 49ers Giants vs. Bears Giants vs. Packers Next game: Giants vs. Lions Giants vs. Patriots Giants vs. Commanders Giants vs. Vikings Buy tickets for this game on StubHub! Watch the NFL on Fubo!
