NFL Teams Didn't Collude on QB Deals, Panel Rules: But the League Was "Inviting" It Anyway
Here's a wild one for you: a three-person appeals panel just ruled that NFL teams didn't actually collude when negotiating quarterback contracts back in 2022, but the panel basically admitted the league was trying to get them to do it anyway. Yeah, you read that right.
The panel upheld an arbitrator's decision from January 2025 that there wasn't sufficient evidence proving teams actually participated in collusion during contract talks with Kyler Murray, Lamar Jackson, and Russell Wilson. But here's the kicker: the panel found that teams "were being invited to participate in collusion" by the NFL and called that effort "improper." So the league was actively trying to get teams on board, but apparently couldn't prove the teams actually went along with it. Wild.
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The NFLPA had been arguing that owners violated the collective bargaining agreement by colluding in contract negotiations with quarterbacks after Deshaun Watson's absolutely massive deal with the Cleveland Browns in 2022. Watson signed a fully guaranteed $230 million contract, which was a record at the time. The players' union wanted to know if that Watson deal created a domino effect that affected how teams negotiated with Murray, Jackson, and Wilson. Here's the thing: none of those three guys signed fully guaranteed deals.
The Confidentiality Bombshell Nobody Talked About
In July, ESPN reported something that made this whole situation even messier: the NFL and senior leaders of the NFLPA had reached a confidentiality agreement to keep the arbitration decision from players. So the union leadership and the league had essentially agreed to keep the ruling under wraps from the very players the union represents. That's the kind of detail that makes you wonder what else was going on behind closed doors.
The ruling is now public, and the facts speak for themselves: the league was pushing teams to coordinate, but couldn't be proved they actually did it. For Seattle fans watching this unfold, it's a reminder that these labor battles between the league and the players never really play out in the open the way they should.
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