Getty Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid on December 16, 2021.
A hot debate surrounding college athletics is the ability of college athletes to earn revenue from NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals, which were made available starting last summer.
NIL deals are shifting the landscape for student-athletes, putting them in good standing financially before they potentially play at the professional level. That is something Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is taking note of, as some of these same student-athletes will eventually work their way into the NFL.
“We’re gonna have a new generation coming up here with kids that are in college that are making money now, and so that’s going to add another dimension to it,” Reid explained during an interview with Sports Take Derrick Gunn, Barrett Brooks, and Rob Ellis on May 24.
“There’s no portal here… Once you’re in, I got you. Yeah, but it’s a little different, right? It’s, I mean, it’s a little different. But you got to just you got to keep that whole maturation process — this thing is never-ending — it’s always, you’ve got to keep growing. And once you get stuck in your ways, you probably need to exit.”
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Twitter Continues Debate Over NIL Deals
Twitter users have continued the debate over NIL deals and their impact on the NFL.
“I’m all for NIL deals and here’s why…. NIL will setup players who have College glory up for their life. Without them struggling in the nfl,” one Twitter user wrote.
I’m all for NIL deals and here’s why….
NIL will setup players who have College glory up for their life. Without them struggling in the nfl
“If you take an NIL deal to go to a school that’s not Alabama I’m happy for you. The recruitment pitch “come here and you’ll go to the NFL” doesn’t work anymore because of injuries. Young men are allowed to say “my body my choice” too,” comedian and writer Sarah Tiana wrote.
If you take an NIL deal to go to a school that’s not Alabama I’m happy for you. The recruitment pitch “come here and you’ll go to the NFL” doesn’t work anymore because of injuries. Young men are allowed to say “my body my choice” too.
“Why doesn’t the NCAA make all NIL deals open to the public, like NFL, W/NBA and MLB contracts? Seems easy enough. Then everybody knows who is doing what. How is that a bad thing?” another user wrote.
Why doesn’t the NCAA make all NIL deals open to the public, like NFL, W/NBA and MLB contracts? Seems easy enough. Then everybody knows who is doing what.
How is that a bad thing?
“No matter how much money a kid gets in an #NIL deal, if you don’t teach them financial literacy, it will be spent irresponsibly. Every kid can’t make it to the NFL, any money received should be managed correctly and they should get their degree or else it won’t matter,” another user wrote.
No matter how much money a kid gets in an #NIL deal, if you don’t teach them financial literacy, it will be spent irresponsibly. Every kid can’t make it to the NFL, any money received should be managed correctly and they should get their degree or else it won’t matter.
“The NFL and NBA provide a far superior product than that provided by the SEC or any Power 5 conference. NFL and NBA players are bigger, stronger, and faster. Why are NCAA coaches getting so much in salary and some players so much in NIL deals when the product is inferior?” another user wrote.
Chiefs Offseason Schedule
Next up on Kansas City’s offseason schedule is organized team activities (OTAs) which began on Wednesday, May 25, and run for two days. After a three-day break, the team will meet again for more OTAs from May 31 to June 2. Their last set of OTAs will be from June 7 to 10.
After OTAs, the last time the Chiefs meet before summer break will be for mandatory minicamp from June 14 to 16.