According to some random site [1], rookie draft contracts are 4 years, with an option for a 5th, and undrafted rookies usually have a 3 year contract. Average career length is 3.3 years [2], so a lot of players only have one contract.

[1] https://collegefootballnetwork.com/how-rookie-contracts-work...

[2] https://www.statista.com/statistics/240102/average-player-ca...

yeah, but those aren't the guys i'm thinking about. i'm not thinking that it's a startup model where every employee gets equity. it's more of a law-firm model where once you prove your worth, you get to become a partner.

so it's for guys like mahomes (in a couple years) or rodgers (a few years ago) that are first-ballot hall of famers that have become the face of the franchise.

- management can't rebuild while paying their huge contracts. - they've already earned a ton but they'd love one more shot at a championship, so they'd glad trade some salary-now for equity-later if it means some young talent could get onto the team next to them - this also saves some of these guys from the same of having to take a paycut and admitting they're past their prime - fans would love to see their guy hanging out in the owners box ten years later