NFL exposed for secret plan to limit player deals as insider Mike Florio reveals explosive 2022 meeting

A shocking new report has put the National Football League in the spotlight. Details have come out that suggest the league may have quietly pushed teams to avoid giving full guaranteed contracts to players.

This information, revealed by respected NFL analyst Mike Florio, has raised many questions about how much control the league has over team spending.

Mike Florio says NFL encouraged owners to act together

Mike Florio, the founder of Pro Football Talk, shared on Tuesday that the NFL may have tried to quietly influence all 32 team owners during a private meeting in March 2022. This meeting reportedly took place right after Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson signed a fully guaranteed $230 million contract.

The deal made headlines as one of the biggest in NFL history.

According to Florio, an arbitration ruling from Christopher Droney confirmed that the league’s management group, with support from Commissioner Roger Goodell, encouraged teams to stop offering fully guaranteed deals to veteran players. These discussions happened during the annual NFL owners’ meeting in 2022, held in Florida.Florio quoted Droney saying, “There is little question that the NFL Management Council, with the blessing of the Commissioner, encouraged the 32 NFL Clubs to reduce guarantees in veterans’ contracts at the March 2022 annual owners’ meeting.”

However, the ruling and full details were never shared with the public or the NFL Players Association, according to Florio. The insider claimed the league and players union decided not to release the documents or the decision. This left many people wondering why such important information was kept quiet.

NFL arbitration ruling confirms collusion talks but clears teams of illegal action in 2024 case

Although the ruling was made in private, the league won the case in 2024. Florio explained that during a follow-up hearing, evidence showed that teams had not followed the league’s advice.

Because there was no proof that teams acted on the idea, the arbitrator sided with the league. Still, the suggestion alone raised concerns.The main issue now is that a top league official may have pushed a plan that could hurt players’ chances of getting fair pay. Pablo Torre, another well-known reporter, also helped bring the story forward. He confirmed parts of the report with his own sources.Also Read: Who’s Leading The 2025 NFL MVP Race? Here Are The Top 5 ContendersAlthough the league took no action on the proposal, the study has increased pressure on the NFL to be more transparent about its decision-making process. Given money, power, and trust on the line, this narrative is probably far from over.