Todd Gurley is continuing on his crusade to not just be the face of the NFL, but also the voice of the league known as “King” of the major professional sports in North America. It wasn’t that long ago we saw Gurley nodding his head in agreement during “The Shop” when LeBron James said that NFL Owners operate with a “slave-like mentality”.
Earlier today, Todd Gurley appeared by phone on the Lefkoe Show on Bleacher Report to speak about the pay gap that exists between the NBA and the NFL. While the host did take a moment to make mention of the differences between the amount of players in the two leagues, as well as the massive difference in the number of games played in each league.
Regardless, to look at a player like DeAndre Hopkins and his contract needs to be multiplied 3 times over before it approaches that of Tobias Harris seems absolutely absurd. Keeping in mind that DeAndre Hopkins has repeatedly stole the show on the highlight reel, while a player like Harris that hasn’t done anything wrong in this equation just, unfortunately, is the example used, is hard to think of a notable play made by him over the last few seasons.
As Gurley mentioned he has led the league in touchdowns the last 2 seasons, as well as the 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns he put on the board as he took home Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2015.
Last summer, Gurley inked a 4-year contract extension taking him through 2023, a $60 million dollar deal that includes $45 million guaranteed and a $20 million signing bonus.
Just for some interesting salary comparisons for the best running back in football (when healthy), here are some eye-raising comparisons. Steph Curry’s base salary this year will be $40,231.758. The total value of the 5-year deal Russell Westbrook is currently playing under is just north of $206 Million. Lastly, to find equal value to the $60M that Gurley will be playing for, the players in the NBA closest to that are players such as: Julius Randle (3 years – $63M), Gorgui Dieng (4 years – $62M), and yes Ian Mahinmi (4 years – $64M).
Unfortunately, this trend is one that looks like it will be here to stay. As Todd Gurley mentioned, if your 6’5 in high school you may want to think twice and trade in the football pads for a fresh Spalding basketball.
While all this is valid, this is the CBA the players signed that gives the owners all the power, if they want change they are going to have to fight for it. If they aren’t willing to fight, they have no one to blame but themselves.
Flip the page to watch for video of how Gurley’s knee may prevent him from another big contract.