Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. fully
    • ex. My dog is big, but he isn’t fully grown yet.
  2. guaranteed
    • ex. Customer satisfaction is guaranteed!
  3. remaining
    • ex. What happened to the remaining candy? I can’t find it.
  4. for sure
    • ex. Jessica said that she’s going to the party for sure.
  5. the norm
    • ex. My children love green peppers, but they’re definitely not the norm.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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A National Football League (NFL) coach was fired earlier this month, but he’s still going to be paid for several more years. In 2020, coach Matt Rhule signed a seven-year, $62 million (about ¥9.1 billion) contract with the Carolina Panthers. After a horrible 1-4 start to the 2022 season, the team fired him. However, Rhule had a fully-guaranteed contract, so the Panthers must still pay him the remaining $40 million (about ¥5.9 billion).

Unlike NFL coaches, most players don’t have fully-guaranteed contracts. Denver Broncos quarterback Russel Wilson signed a $245 million (about ¥36 billion) contract extension last month, but only $161 million (about ¥23.6 billion) is actually guaranteed. Similarly, Kansas City Chiefs star player Patrick Mahomes will only receive $141 million (about ¥20.7 billion) of his $450 million (about ¥66 billion) contract for sure. If a team cuts a player, the remaining money often disappears.

In 2018, Kirk Cousins became the first veteran NFL player to sign a fully-guaranteed contract. However, since then, only a few others have done the same. Experts say that fully-guaranteed contracts could become the norm in the NFL if more star players push for them.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

NFL Coaches

  • Rhule was fired, but the Panthers must still pay him $40 million. How do you feel about this (ex. it's wrong, he had a great contract)? Why? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, why do NFL coaches have fully-guaranteed contracts but most NFL players do not (ex. coaches don’t get injured, many coaches are paid less than players)? Discuss.
  • After a 1-4 start to the season, the Panthers fired Rhule. Do you think it's a good idea to fire a coach in the middle of a season? Why or why not? Discuss.

NFL Players

  • If an NFL team cuts a player, the remaining money in their contract often disappears. Do you think that's fair? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Imagine that you're an NFL player. You can sign a five-year regular contract for $250 million or a five-year fully-guaranteed contract for $25 million. Which contract will you choose? Why? Discuss.
  • If more star players push for fully-guaranteed contracts, they could become the norm. In your opinion, why have star players NOT pushed for them (ex. they want higher-paying risky contracts, they think that teams will say no)? Discuss.