NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement

Article 7
Rookie Compensation and Rookie Compensation Pool

Section 3(h)
Rookie Contracts

(h)

Guaranteed Rookie Salary. Rookie Salary (excluding the performance incentives described in Section 6 below) may be guaranteed for skill, football-related injury and/or Salary Cap-related contract terminations, provided, however, that no player’s Rookie Salary (excluding performance incentives) in his third League Year or fourth League Year (for Drafted Rookies) may be guaranteed for skill, football-related injury or Salary Cap-related contract termination unless the player’s entire Rookie Salary (excluding performance incentives) has been similarly guaranteed (i.e., for the same type(s) of contract termination) in the immediately preceding year of the contract. By way of example, if a Drafted Rookie signs a four-year contract with Rookie Salary (excluding performance incentives) of $1,000,000 in year one, $1,250,000 in year two, $1,500,000 in year three, and $1,750,000 in year four, no portion of his year-four Rookie Salary may be guaranteed for skill and injury unless the player’s full Rookie Salary (excluding performance incentives) for year two ($1,250,000) and year three ($1,500,000) is also guaranteed for skill and injury. For the avoidance of doubt, and by way of further example, a Club may guarantee yearfour Rookie Salary for injury only when the Club also guarantees years two and three either just for injury, or for injury, skill, and Salary Cap-related termination.