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Morning Edition

March 12, 2025

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NFL contract records are set all the time, but most players never receive the full amount. We examine the stark difference between total money and guaranteed money, and where the gaps have been biggest this week.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]], and Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

Guarantees Are Gold in NFL Free Agency—but Almost As Rare [[link removed]]

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

After several days of NFL free-agent frenzy [[link removed]], and a billion-dollar weekend [[link removed]] of deals, players will finally be able to officially sign contracts with new teams when the 2025 league year begins at 4 p.m. ET Wednesday.

The money has been flying around this offseason, as it does every March [[link removed]], with the sport’s best players getting tens—and in some cases hundreds—of millions of dollars from extensions and new contracts. But that doesn’t tell the whole story.

Because of the NFL’s aversion to fully guaranteed contracts [[link removed]], many of the marquee deals agreed to this week have total sums reported that are far higher than the actual amount of money each team is guaranteeing to said player.

Take Sam Darnold, for example. His new contract with the Seahawks [[link removed]] is reportedly a three-year, $100.5 million deal. However, just more than half of it, $55 million, is guaranteed. That makes it unlikely Darnold will actually play all three years of that contract under its initial terms. If he plays poorly, the Seahawks could release him without a huge financial penalty. If he plays well, Darnold will likely seek a raise.

Another example: Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn. His four-year, $100 million extension is a lower total amount than the four-year, $104 million contract defensive tackle Milton Williams signed with the Patriots. However, Horn is guaranteed more money ($70 million) than Williams ($63 million).

Record Deals

Browns defensive end Myles Garrett is getting more guaranteed money than any non-quarterback in NFL history ($122.8 million), as part of a four-year, $160 million extension [[link removed]]. That comes just three years after Cleveland gave quarterback Deshaun Watson the most guaranteed money ever, $230 million over five years. Watson is unlikely to play in 2025, but he has a $172 million dead-cap hit [[link removed]].

That was until Sunday, when the Bills locked up NFL MVP Josh Allen through 2030 with $250 million in guaranteed money, as part of a deal that, of course, has a much higher reported total value: $330 million.

SPONSORED BY WILSON SPORTING GOODS

How a Meatpacking Brand Took Over Sports

Did you know Wilson Sporting Goods [[link removed]] was once a meatpacking company? Today, it stands as a billion-dollar empire dominating the sports equipment industry [[link removed]]. But how did this transformation happen?

In our latest FOS Explains [[link removed]] video, we explore the incredible journey of Wilson Sporting Goods—from humble beginnings to shaping the future of sports. Discover how innovation, strategy, and a relentless commitment to excellence have made Wilson a powerhouse in the world of sports.

Watch now to learn how Wilson has revolutionized the industry and how it continues to develop the future of sports equipment. [[link removed]]

Celtics-Lakers Draws Record Ratings, NBA Nearly Even With Last Year [[link removed]]

Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

After months of chatter on the NBA’s declining viewership [[link removed]], the league’s oldest rivalry has pushed its ratings as close as they have been to last year’s mark.

The Celtics and Lakers game drew 4.61 million viewers and peaked at 5.34 million Saturday on ABC, the most-watched non-Christmas regular-season NBA game since 2018, the league announced Tuesday. The game even outdrew two of this season’s Christmas Day games—the only regular-season game to achieve that feat this year.

Before Saturday, the most-watched non-Christmas game this year was a Jan. 25 matchup between the Lakers and Warriors on ABC that drew 3.05 million viewers.

The NBA is now averaging 1.57 million viewers for its nationally televised games, down 2% from last year. It’s a stark improvement over the double-digit declines the league experienced through the first two months of the year. The NBA had an 18% viewership decline before Christmas, when the five-game slate simulcast on ABC and ESPN cut the dip to 4% [[link removed]].

Saturday’s game had the recipe for a top-tier draw. The Celtics and Lakers are the league’s two winningest franchises, and both teams are top three seeds in their respective conferences and championship contenders.

Most of the teams’ stars were also available for the game. LeBron James and Luka Dončić played for Los Angeles—though James went down with an injury in the fourth quarter—and both are considered top viewership draws, especially after the shocking trade that sent Dončić to the Lakers last month. Boston’s core that won the 2024 championship was mostly available, with only Kristaps Porziņģis missing due to illness.

SPONSORED BY WILSON SPORTING GOODS

Live Like an Athlete

From the NFL to the NBA, Roland-Garros to the US Open, NCAA to the AVP, Wilson’s dominance across the sports equipment landscape [[link removed]] is felt now more than ever. A brand steeped in tradition, with products expertly crafted for the next generation [[link removed]], Wilson empowers every human to live like an athlete. [[link removed]]

Tiger Woods Ruptures Achilles As Injury Challenges Mount [[link removed]]

Imagn Images

Tiger Woods has suffered yet another major injury that will likely keep the legendary golfer off the course for at least the remainder of the year.

On Tuesday afternoon, Woods, 49, announced he had torn his Achilles, which typically takes at least four to six months to recover from.

“As I began to ramp up my own training and practice at home, I felt a sharp pain in my left Achilles, which was deemed to be ruptured,” he said in a statement posted on social media [[link removed]]. “This morning, Dr. Charlton Stucken of Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach, Florida performed a minimally-invasive Achilles tendon repair for a ruptured tendon. ‘The surgery went smoothly, and we expect a full recovery,’ added Dr. Stucken. I am back home now and plan to focus on my recovery and rehab, thank you for all the support.”

If Woods is indeed out through the summer, he would be 50 next time he plays in a major championship, likely next year’s Masters.

Woods was not in the field for the Players Championship this week, but played [[link removed]] in four TGL matches this year and was expected to play in the Masters next month. In February, he had originally planned on playing the Genesis Invitational, which he hosts annually, but he withdrew after his mother died unexpectedly.

In December, Woods played in the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie, but before that had last competed at the Open Championship in July. In September, he had back surgery, believed to be at least his fourth.

Woods missed the cut at the Open Championship, U.S. Open, and PGA Championship in 2024, and finished 60th at the Masters. He withdrew from last year’s Genesis Invitational after the first round.

Since Woods has not contended at any of the major championships he’s played in recent years, or competed in many other PGA Tour events, TV networks have not regularly been counting on his star power to boost ratings like it once did. However, Woods’s debut match in TGL, the indoor golf league he cofounded this year, drew a season-high 1.05 million viewers [[link removed]] on ESPN on a Tuesday night in January.

Away from competition, Woods remains an influential figure in the PGA Tour’s negotiations with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. He attended a recent White House meeting [[link removed]] to attempt to broker a deal with LIV Golf.

Meanwhile, Woods’s apparel brand, Sun Day Red, which launched last year, got a boost Sunday when its lone brand ambassador, PGA Tour rookie Karl Vilips, won the Puerto Rico Open.

Yankees Record Revenue Faces Uncertainty As Injuries Pile Up [[link removed]]

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Yankees enjoyed a meteoric increase in ticket and luxury-seat revenue in 2024, but they now face questions of how to maintain the momentum amid a spate of player injuries.

The Major League Baseball club reported a franchise record $411.7 million in sales from tickets and luxury suites last year, according to newly filed bond disclosures, a 40% increase over 2023. The higher total included $101.9 million in sales from postseason tickets and suites during what was the Yankees’ first trip to the World Series since 2009.

As much as 30% of that latter total is subject to refunds or credits for three potential postseason games that were paid for in advance but not played. Playoff revenue is also subject to greater levels of sharing with other teams and players, including funding the postseason player pool that reached record levels in 2024 [[link removed]].

Still, the filing provides another glimpse into the economic power of the Yankees, perhaps surpassed in MLB by only the Dodgers. The totals do not include any other revenue sources, including key areas of central fund money from MLB, local media and sponsorship, and merchandise and concession sales. The Yankees’ ticket and luxury-seat revenue last year, however, by itself amounts to 62% of the $663 million in total revenue the Braves generated in 2024 [[link removed]], including from The Battery mixed-use development.

The Yankees’ annual filing is part of required disclosures related to their operation in Yankee Stadium, owned by the New York City Economic Development Corp. The data represent one of the few public glimpses into MLB club–level finances beyond the publicly traded Braves. The ticket revenue also supports the bonds used to construct the ballpark.

Beyond the on-field run to the 2024 World Series, lost in five games to the Dodgers [[link removed]], the Yankees also boosted attendance to 3.31 million, the club’s highest mark since 2018.

The 2024 ticket and luxury-suite revenue tops the team’s prior high of $397 million set in 2009, the first year of the new Yankee Stadium and also the season of the Yankees’ last World Series title.

Injury Concerns

Matching the robust totals from last year, however, has now grown tougher following the season-ending arm injury for ace Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole [[link removed]], who underwent Tommy John surgery Tuesday.

Cole’s situation adds to the rash of injuries befalling the Yankees in recent days that also includes designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton, infielder DJ LeMahieu, and last year’s AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, who will be out at least three months.

“For me, I have to be Max Fried,” said the pitcher who signed a $218 million free-agent deal with the Yankees in December [[link removed]], and will now be counted on to anchor the starting rotation. “I can’t try to fill anyone else’s shoes. I have to know what makes me successful and not try to be someone I’m not.”

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS NETWORK Kimmy Fasani: Breaking Barriers and Beating Cancer

Pro snowboarder Kimmy Fasani made history as the first woman to land a double backflip, but her impact extends far beyond the slopes. She pioneered contract changes for snowboarders entering motherhood, ensuring better support for athletes balancing sport and family. While filming a documentary about her career and personal journey, her story took an unexpected turn—she was diagnosed with stage 3 inflammatory breast cancer just nine months after having her second child.

This week on Redefined, Kimmy joins hosts Leslie Osborne and Arielle Houlihan to share her inspiring journey.

Presented by LYCRA® Brand—Redefined celebrates multidimensional women stretching boundaries and redefining success in sports and beyond.

Watch the full Redefined episode here [[link removed]].

Editors’ Picks The 49ers Are Cleaning House Before the Brock Purdy Extension Hits [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]San Francisco cut several big names and lost others to free agency. Fox COO: Company Will ‘Look At’ ESPN MLB Rights [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]ESPN and MLB are parting ways after this season. Olympic Sports Coaches’ Testimony on Capitol Hill Ignores Roster Limits [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]Meanwhile, coaches and players nationwide have sounded the alarm. Question of the Day

Do you think NFL teams should be required to fully guarantee a certain percentage of player contracts?

NO [[link removed]] 25% [[link removed]] 50% [[link removed]] 75% [[link removed]]

Tuesday’s result: 83% of respondents think the Bears, Commanders, and Patriots are making the right decision by spending big around young QBs.

Advertise [[link removed]] Honors [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Shows [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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