In NFL news, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins feels that NFL players are underpaid. Sammy Watkins was drafted fourth overall by the Bills during the 2014 NFL draft, and signed a four-year rookie contract worth $19.9 million guaranteed. The NFL player tweeted Sunday morning, “We gotta get paid more I’m pretty sure 2014 class will change the market.”
His tweet was sent in the wake of numerous NBA players signing multi-million dollar deals during the first day of free agency on Saturday; many players signed contracts exceeding $100 million, and Warriors’ Steph Curry signed a five-year deal for $201 million. Watkins isn’t the only person with the mindset that NFL players should be paid more. Sammy re-tweeted NFL promoter Jake Steinberg, who pointed out that the NBA has an annual revenue of $5 billion, and that the NFL has an annual revenue of $12 billion, so “NFL players have the right to be pi**ed.”
But as CBS Sports pointed out, it’s not that simple when it comes to the NFL players getting paid more money. The NBA has roughly 500 players, as opposed to the NFL’s approximate 2,000 players, so the percentage of the profits are larger for NBA players. Regardless, it seems that Watkins is right about the 2014 class changing the pay environment of the league. Last month, Derek Carr and the Oakland Raiders made football history when Carr became the highest-paid NFL player ever, signing a five-year extension worth $125 million.
We gotta get paid more I’m pretty sure 2014 class will change the market
— King me (@sammywatkins) July 2, 2017
But many NFL fans and pundits are already having an issue with Watkins’ tweet. They aren’t taking issue with his statement, as much as who it was stated by. In the three seasons that Watkins has been with the NFL, he has been plagued with injuries; the wide receiver missed half of the last season due to a foot injury, and he had other injuries during his first two years with the NFL. Watkins underwent surgery on his foot last January, and returned to minicamp last month after missing most of the off-season workouts. During the 2016 season, Watkins scored two touchdowns and had 28 receptions for 430 yards.
Some fans responded to his tweet stating that if he performed consistently that he would be paid more. Others responded to Watkins’ tweet by stating that if he would lead the Bills to a championship, or at least make them contenders, only then would he deserve to see more money. But after hearing the news of how much money numerous NBA players are going to make next season, compared to past seasons, many NFL fans and players are supporting Sammy Watkins’ statement.
[Featured Image by Michael Adamucci/Getty Images]
