bbsplitter":32uy5zez said:
I have always been confused why inflated/back-loaded contracts are so popular? Is it really only for the perception of the flashy total of big $$ even though they will only ever see a percentage of that? As a player wouldn't you rather have more realistic numbers with higher guarantees that makes it more difficult to cut you? The Kam situation sucks for the Hawks but it sure seems like the type of situation I would want to be in if I was a player.
It's a tradeoff. Older vets are more likely to only look at the guaranteed portions, while the younger guys hitting their first contract see the potential to earn the entire amount. I forget the player name but there was a long snapper in the league for 15+ years who would always extend his contract when it had one year remaining with inexpensive but fully guaranteed dollars. He was never released as a result when the team was looking to cut payroll.
Lower guaranteed dollars are good for parity as you don't have franchises tied down to bad decisions for very long. That's why the NFL has so many worst to first and first to worst change-ups every year and it takes a truly special team like the Browns to stay bad for decades despite new management constantly having a mostly clean slate to work with.