NFL fans currently know Lamar Jackson as the highest-paid player in NFL history. He boasts a 5-year $260 million contract that brought his negotiation woes with the  Baltimore Ravens to an end. But back in 2001, there was another QB called Michael Vick, who stood at the top as the highest-paid rookie in NFL history. Vick came into the league as the No.1 overall pick for the Atlanta Falcons and went on to play in the league for 13 seasons.

Michael Vick announced his retirement from the NFL back in 2017, after remaining unsigned throughout the 2016 season. And now, the former QB has recently come forward to reveal the reality behind the massive contracts that NFL stars sign.

Michael Vick opens up about how much NFL players actually earn from their contracts 

During a recent episode of the Tyreek Hill podcast managed by ‘The Vocal Podcast Network’, Michael Vick discussed the competitiveness during his draft year in the draft pool. He talked about how the league probably looked at the draft pool and saw them as the faces of the franchise in the coming years, which ultimately led to the Falcons signing him on a six-year $62 million deal, with around $15 million guaranteed and around $11 million in annual salary. 

The former QB then went on to talk about the breakdown of his contract, which showed that he earned less than what their contracts state after taxes and other discrepancies. Vick said, “I only got $11 million guaranteed. Bro I’m saying, break through the math on $11 million. After taxes, what is it? $7 million.” He further went on to explain how players don’t get all the money “at one time.” Michael Vick stated, “You don’t get the whole $11 million. Broke up. It’s three right off the bat, three in March of the following year.”

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Despite being the richest sports league in the world boasting a net worth of around $142.87 billion, the discussion once again sheds light on the plight of player salaries in the NFL.

The pay discrepancy in the NFL compared to other leagues 

Recently, former MLB pitcher Jacob Turner listed out a few reasons why players in the NFL earn significantly less than their other counterparts. According to average salaries, the NBA stands at the top with $8.32, while the MLB comes second with an average of $4.03. Talking about the NFL, they come third, racking up only $3.26 million. Turner went on to state that the roster sizes play a crucial factor in this pay discrepancy. An NBA franchise has 15 players on its active roster, while an NFL franchise has 53 players as a part of its active roster. This means “more mouths to feed and less for everyone on the table”, according to Turner. Apart from this, the former baseball pitcher also feels that the NFL could learn a few tricks from the MLB when it comes to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Do you think the league should do something to address this discrepancy in salaries? Let us know in the comments below. 

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