In March 2022, the NFL put something unusual in writing. At the annual owners meeting, league representatives outlined the risks fully guaranteed contracts hold for the teams and the league as a whole. No one took it seriously until four years later, when Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s name (among others) got dragged in.
“[If] guarantees continue to grow in both amount and number of players, then there’s a risk that they become the norm in contracts regardless of player quality,” the league’s presentation from back then stated. “That not only has the potential to hinder roster management but set a market standard that will be difficult to walk back. Of course, all clubs must make their own decisions. But continuing these trends can handcuff a Club long into the future.”
The league wrote its concern down, distributed it, and moved on. Now, a three-judge appeals panel has read those notes, along with some owner text and memos, and still ruled in the league’s favor. But that didn’t sit well with Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
“The appeals panel had more than enough evidence to find that the NFL colluded as to a fully guaranteed contract,” PFT posted on X. “For whatever reason, the panel chose to ignore obvious facts and common sense.”
The appeals panel had more than enough evidence to find that the NFL colluded as to fully-guaranteed contract. For whatever reason, the panel chose to ignore obvious facts and common sense. https://t.co/3hTOyXFUuN
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 13, 2026
It all started with the Cleveland Browns giving their quarterback, Deshaun Watson, a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed deal in 2022. It was the largest guarantee given to an NFL star at the time. Similar large deals were expected to follow, but in October 2022, the NFLPA (under then executive director DeMaurice) filed a formal collusion grievance alleging the league and its clubs conspired to prevent three QBs from getting fully guaranteed deals: Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson, and Kyler Murray.
The very first time, the motion had been dismissed. The NFLPA appealed, then appealed again. On April 11, the three-member panel of Richard J. Howell, Martin F. Scheinman, and James R. Spencer upheld the dismissal for the final time. What’s more, the panel’s own language undercut its conclusion.
“We cannot fathom these sophisticated businesspeople did not comprehend they were being encouraged to limit or reduce guaranteed contracts,” the panel’s ruling went.
As for Lamar Jackson, his name ended up on the case because of what the Ravens offered (and wouldn’t offer). According to the ruling, Baltimore put two separate three-year, fully guaranteed deals on the table. But Jackson wanted a five-year, fully guaranteed deal like Deshaun Watson. Baltimore wasn’t budging, and Lamar signed a five-year, $260 million deal in April 2023 with $185 million guaranteed. Wilson and Murray also signed similarly structured deals.
The NFLPA lost the grievance, but at the same time, the league paid roughly $14 million in attorney fees and other costs, an amount that will be split equally by the owners. Amid all this, NFLPA president JC Tretter didn’t walk away without saying something.
“While we are disappointed by the ruling, this outcome does not erase the clear and important findings in regards to the NFL’s collusive behavior,” Tretter said.
The league, meanwhile, breathed a sigh of relief.
“We are pleased with the panel’s decision to reaffirm the dismissal of the case, bringing to an end three years of litigation,” a league spokesperson noted.
“Why would or should the Broncos care what the other owners think?” Florio pointed out. “The mere fact that the concern was on the radar screen shows that the Broncos were worried about running afoul of the wink-nod understanding that teams would hold the rope on the issue of fully guaranteed contracts after the Watson deal.”
The NFL survived this case with a full paper trail intact. They now know exactly how much they can afford to leave in writing and what to stop writing down.
So the collusion case is done. Lamar Jackson was named in it, pushed the league for fully guaranteed money, and ended up with a deal that wasn’t what he wanted. Now, the argument about him has moved somewhere else entirely.
Former teammate fired back at Lamar Jackson’s critics
On the Dan LeBatard Show recently, NFL columnist Greg Cote called out Jackson’s postseason disasters.
“We’re all dancing around the fact that right now, he’s the great two-time MVP who has been a career disappointment,” Cote said. “He’s never won; he’s never led his team to a Super Bowl. He’s 3-5 in the playoffs. The pressure is on Lamar Jackson to prove it in the postseason.”
Free agent linebacker, and Jackson’s old teammate, Kyle Van Noy, saw Cote’s take. He then took it upon himself to respond and take it all head-on.
“Can I ask why yall trying this narrative with pressure on Lamar when he already won the pressure argument!” Van Noy wrote on X. “Ya’’ started off his career by saying he should play WR or RB?!? He said, ‘Watch this,’ and won an MVP not just once but 2x (should have been 3, that’s for another day)!”
He didn’t stop there. Van Noy compared Lamar to Allen Iverson, the legendary NBA star nicknamed ‘The Answer.’
“If he never plays a down again, he’s literally a HOF; he’s the most influential football player, like AI is to basketball, and he literally changed the way people take QBs in the league!” Van Noy continued.
Can I ask why yall trying this narrative with pressure on Lamar when he already won the pressure argument! Yall started off his career by saying should he should play WR or RB?!? He said watch this and won a MVP not just once but 2x (should have been 3 that’s for another day) !…
— Kyle Van Noy (@KVN_03) April 9, 2026
Lamar Jackson’s 3-5 playoff record is a real number. But what that argument skips is that Dan Marino never won a Super Bowl, Jim Kelly lost four straight, and Aaron Rodgers won one, all without anyone calling their careers ‘disappointments.’ The standard being applied to Jackson is different, and nobody making the argument explains why.
Even Tom Brady, who has seven rings and knows what winning entails, once said it plainly about Jackson: “You’re the reason people tune into the NFL.”
Last season, Jackson navigated injuries through Baltimore’s first year without a playoff berth since 2021. Head coach John Harbaugh became collateral damage after 18 seasons of leading Baltimore. But Jackson is already set to make a splash, and wide receiver Zay Flowers’ words describe it best.
“He’s always ready. He’s even more ready this year,” Flowers had said. “He’s excited about getting to work with [new OC] Declan [Doyle]. So yeah, he’s ready to go. He wants to finish. He wants to get a ring.”
Lamar Jackson even showed up on Day 1 of Baltimore’s offseason program, breaking a well-documented habit of skipping voluntary sessions. He closed a losing season, lost a four-year legal case, and walked into a full coaching overhaul. Can he silence all the critics in 2026? Only a postseason run will be able to do that, it seems.
