Odell Beckham Jr and Aaron Rodgers finally got paid this week. It was a good week for them but it was also a good week for NFL owners.

Why was it a good week for the owners you ask? Neither contract included an opt out.

Rodgers privately expressed that he wanted built in options in his next contract with the Packers that would allow him to opt out if he didn’t like the direction the franchise was going in or if he felt he was underpaid.

Instead of giving Rodgers the freedom to opt out after two seasons and potentially get more money from another team, the Packers decided to pay him more guaranteed money and front load his contract. By doing that, they got Rodgers to agree to an extension.

The Giants did the same thing with Beckham in essence. They gave him more guaranteed money up front and didn’t include an opt out clause.

NFL owners would much rather overpay their stars and give them more guaranteed money than to include an opt out clause. It allows them to secure the player’s services long term without having to pay them more money again down the road.

Player options have ruined the NBA and turned the league into a mercenary league run by the players. NFL owners don’t want to see that happen to their league. They are willing to spend more in order to maintain control of the player over the entire term of their contract.

The issue of player options will come up in the next CBA negotiations but until then, NFL owners will stave off the issue by overpaying their star players to keep them happy. They don’t have a choice if they want to keep their players and make money.