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Originally Posted by jobu
does anyone know what happens when a player retires during a contract? for instance, a player signs a 6 year contract. he only plays 3 years of that contract. if the siging bonus was prorated over the 6 years, does the team take a hit in year 4 for the rest of the bonus?
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depends on the language of the contract, but likely the player would have to give the signing bonus back. trev alberts played de and lb for the colts. he signed a contract with a very large signing bonus even though he was having back problems... two years into the contract, he retired, though the contract was not up. he was obligated to give back the balance of the signing bonus, and i believe the colts did not have to take the hit. now, trev alberts is an analyst of the nfl on espn.
ricky williams originally signed his contract, and received his signing bouns from the saints. when he was traded to miami, miami worked in a clause for getting the signing bonus back, even though they didn't pay it, and wouldn't take the hit for any portion of it. when he decided to retire, the courts decided he was due to pay it back to the dolphins, and the saints never saw any of the money!
both agents and teams know what they're doing when they sign players to long-term deals with huge signing bonuses up front. donovan mcnabb and mike vick are two recent players who received giganormous contracts with huge signing bonuses up front (i believe vick's was 37 million)... players get guaranteed money up front, teams get to spread it out over a long period... and both the agent and team know the contract will likely be reworked after 3-4 years. whether the player's actually know this, and how much they understand is another topic!
as thatoneguy said, the salary cap is a great thing. it keeps the league fresh, as teams can't just load up talent without worries. also, since contracts are not guaranteed, players can't really rest on their laurels. if you don't show up in games, you can easily be cut. you have to make it halfway through the season, before the rest of your contract for that season is guaranteed (unless you get put on ir).