Mike Florio ,
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All too often in player contracts, the initial numbers leaked to the lineup of Twitter thumb racers have been inflated. No one asks questions before hitting the post button, because he/she who hesitates has lost.
Then, the real numbers emerge. And the truth becomes known. And it’s not the same as the initial reports.
As to the new deal signed by Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin, some of the initial reports pegged the three-year extension at $96 million, giving it a straight $32 million new-money APY. At least one report described it as being worth “over” $96 million.
Then came something likely closer to the truth. The magic words “up to” were added to the number. Which is another way of saying “not $96 million.”
That makes the truth even more important to knowing the actual value of the deal. As one source who has been attempting to dredge up the real numbers told PFT on Monday, the details have been “very elusive.”
It’s no surprise, in this case. In post-truth America, where’s the harm in doing a deal that has a base value of, for instance, less than $30 million per year but pumping it up with incentives and escalators and other phony-baloney devices to make it seem worth more than $30 million? If the team agrees not to blow up the bullshit with, you know, facts, no harm. No foul.
The truth inevitably will emerge. When it does, we’ll have it. If the numbers are delayed long enough, few will care by then.
Big Shield combines gambling, pro football, and the mob into a cautionary tale regarding inside information, and the dangers that come from selling it.
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