The Kyler Clause: The Totally Mutually Agreed Upon Not Homework Contract Addendum

Ian Rapoport dropped the following tweet this afternoon and after reading the fine print I spent an uncomfortable amount of time verifying if this was actually from a parody account.

Contracts are about give-and-take. One example from #AZCardinals QB Kyler Murray’s $230.5M contract: There is an addendum that requires 4 hours of “independent study” per game week. It was important to the team making a commitment at that level, thus it was important to Murray. pic.twitter.com/VqrkvoBQLJ

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 25, 2022

Of particular interest is 36.3(a) and (b) which clarify the situations in which Murray would not be credited with “Independent Study” time:

(a) Player is not personally studying or watching the material while it is being displayed or played

(b) Player is engaged in any other activity that may distract his attention (for example, watching television, playing video games or browsing the internet) while such material is being displayed or played

Everything about this is amazing. The fact that this is an addendum four days after the contract was signed. The totally hypothetical examples that definitely aren’t connected in anyway. But most of all, the incredible detail lined out. I can just see the looks the team lawyer’s must have given each other drafting this up at the table with GM Steve Keim as they reconsidered their career choices. I mean, who’s even going to audit this shit? Dwight Schrute?

This has everything needed to be a first ballot HOF contract clause. And there have been great ones. Manny Ramirez required unlimited sushi in Japan, Ichiro Suzuki required 40k written in to cover housing on a multi-million dollar deal, and my personal favorite 1970’s pitcher Rollie Fingers getting a $100 allowance for mustache wax. Of course, these are all player friendly clauses, but the GOAT team friendly clause has to be starting pitcher Slim Caldwell’s 1920 clause requiring him to get drunk the night after he pitched so he would no longer be hung over by his next start.

We might laugh now but this could be just the tip of the iceberg on a new age of contract negotiations for Gen-Z athletes willing to give 100% of their time 60% of the time. We’ve come a long way from athletes like Michael Jordan requiring a “for the love of the game” clause allowing him to ball whenever he wants. With the same personal drive as a grade-schooler finishing homework so they can play video games, contemporary athletes like Kyler Murray are being required to complete independent study (homework) so he can play video games. You gotta think guys like DeAndre Ayton and Anthony Davis are avoiding eye contact at all costs with their GM to avoid being assigned homework too. Excuse me, “independent study”.