Unlike in the NBA or MLB, players’ contracts in the NFL aren’t guaranteed by default. Typically, an NFL player will receive at least some guaranteed money when he signs a deal, but that money often comes in the form of contract bonuses, and in particular signing bonuses. While a player’s base salary, or P5 salary, will occasionally be guaranteed for a season or two, more often than not future seasons in that contract are fully non-guaranteed, allowing the team to escape the contract without much of a cap hit, particularly if the player’s bonus money was limited.
Take Anthony Hitchens, for example. The linebacker inked a five year, $45MM deal with Chiefs in 2018 with around $21MM in total guarantees. Rather than carrying him at a $12.6MM cap figure in 2022, the Chiefs released earlier this month, saving upwards of $8.4MM. At the time of signing, Hitchens was one of the highest paid inside linebackers in the game on a per-year basis. But, because of the way his deal…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Pro Football RumorsPro Football Rumors…