Michael Wilbon Excoriates Reporters Who Were Way Off On Colin Kaepernick's Contract

When Colin Kaepernick first signed his new contract with the 49ers, reports indicated that he’d gotten the most guaranteed money of all-time. For example:

Colin Kaeprnick's 6-year deal is worth $110+ million, per sources. Heavy guarantees, too. Record guarantees.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 4, 2014

For #49ers QB Colin Kaepernick: It’s a 6-year extension worth up to $126M with $60M guaranteed, source says. Under contract through 2020
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 4, 2014

Some details on the Kaepernick deal: It's a six-year extension worth as much as $126 million. The $61M guarantee is the largest ever in NFL.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) June 4, 2014

As it turns out, his deal was much more team-friendly than initially believed. The saga spoke to a general epidemic within the NFL media wherein agents leak numbers, which are proven time and again to be patently false, to reporters willing to be inaccurate (either completely, as was the case with Kaepernick, or pragmatically when the back-end of the deal is effectively monopoly money).

On PTI yesterday, Michael Wilbon was especially annoyed about the bait-and-switch. “Every time somebody signs one of these contracts, everybody — our colleagues, and some really great reporters — they tweet out,” he said. “They report immediately, and the next day all they do is Michael Jackson moonwalk as to how little money is guaranteed for real. These ridiculously absurd reckless reports about record guarantees … These contracts, and the reporting of these contracts, are frauds.”

Amen.