short-term and long-term physical effects. But we can't forget the upside, because the financial rewards are pretty serious, too. The biggest contracts of the summer, these 11 deals guaranteed to pay out at least $25 million—or in Colin Kaepernick's case, $61 million (Sixty-one million dollars!)—show the kind of upside that keeps hundreds of college graduates willing to spend the prime of their lives bashing their heads together and ignoring the consequences. Hard to blame them.
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NFL Summer Spending Spree

Mark Zaleski/AP

By now we all know about the risks of being a professional football player, the serious short-term and long-term physical effects. But we can’t forget the upside, because the financial rewards are pretty serious, too. The biggest contracts of the summer, these 11 deals guaranteed to pay out at least $25 million—or in Colin Kaepernick’s case, $61 million (Sixty-one million dollars!)—show the kind of upside that keeps hundreds of college graduates willing to spend the prime of their lives bashing their heads together and ignoring the consequences. Hard to blame them.

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