AI Skill Report Card
Reporting NFL Contract News
Quick Start13 / 15
Given raw source information about a contract situation, produce a brief that answers: Who, what deal, what's the status, what's the timeline, what's next.
Input: "Sources say Team X and Player Y haven't made progress on extension talks. Deal not expected by [date] but time remains."
Output:
[CITY], [STATE] -- [Team] [position] [Player] is [reporting to camp/attending event] without a new deal in hand.
Sources told [Outlet] that [Player] and his agent have not made significant progress with [Team] on a new contract. A deal is largely not expected by [date/event], but there is still time to sort through it and potentially reach a deal, sources added.
Recommendation▾
Add a 'bad example' showing a common mistake (e.g., stating negotiation details as fact) alongside a corrected version, to reinforce the pitfalls section with concrete contrast.
Workflow13 / 15
- Identify the core facts: player, team, contract type (extension/rookie deal/franchise tag), current status
- Identify the news hook — what event triggers this being reported now (camp start, deadline, trade deadline, roster cut date)
- Attribute claims properly ("sources told [outlet]," "sources added," "a source said") — never state contract negotiation details as confirmed fact unless officially announced
- Establish the timeline: what's the next key date/deadline, and is a deal expected before it
- Lead with the most newsworthy fact in the dateline sentence (e.g., player showing up without a deal)
- Keep it tight — 2-4 sentences for a breaking brief; expand only if additional context (past deals, comparable contracts, team cap situation) is available
- Close with forward-looking framing: what happens next, what's still possible
Recommendation▾
Include an example covering a trade scenario (not just extension/tag situations) since the description mentions trades and roster moves but examples only cover contract talks.
Examples15 / 20
Example 1: Input: Notes state: Player is franchise-tagged, unhappy, skipping voluntary workouts, no long-term deal talks scheduled yet, mandatory minicamp is in two weeks.
Output:
[CITY] -- [Team] [position] [Player] is skipping voluntary workouts amid a stalemate over a long-term contract.
Sources told ESPN that no extension talks are currently scheduled between [Player]'s representatives and the team. [Player], who is playing under the franchise tag, is expected to attend mandatory minicamp in two weeks, though sources caution that attendance alone won't signal progress on a new deal.
Example 2: Input: Notes state: Two sides have exchanged proposals, gap remains on guaranteed money, trade deadline is in 10 days, team has expressed no interest in trading player.
Output:
[CITY] -- Talks between [Team] and [Player] have progressed beyond the impasse stage, but a gap remains over guaranteed money, sources told ESPN.
The two sides have exchanged formal proposals in recent weeks. With the trade deadline 10 days away, sources say the team has no interest in moving [Player], preferring to continue working toward an extension.
Recommendation▾
The Quick Start template and Example 1/2 are structurally very similar (stalemate/talks framing) — a third example with a different news hook (e.g., a completed deal announcement or a cut/release) would demonstrate broader range.
Best Practices
- Always use the dateline format (CITY, STATE --) for hard news briefs
- Attribute every non-public fact to "sources"; only state as fact what's officially confirmed (e.g., "reported to camp" is observable, "no progress on deal" is sourced)
- Use neutral, declarative sentence structure — avoid speculation or opinion language
- Include a concrete date or event as the timeline anchor whenever possible
- End on a note of possibility/uncertainty rather than a firm prediction, unless sources explicitly rule something out
- Keep paragraphs short (1-2 sentences) — this is wire-style reporting, not analysis
Common Pitfalls
- Don't state negotiation specifics (dollar amounts, guarantee structure) as fact unless directly sourced — use vague language like "a gap remains" if specifics aren't given
- Don't editorialize about whether a player "deserves" a deal or predict outcomes definitively
- Don't bury the lede — the most camp/deadline/date-relevant fact belongs in the first sentence
- Don't drop attribution ("sources told X") on subsequent claims — repeat or vary it so nothing reads as the outlet's own assertion
- Avoid excessive hedging language stacked in one sentence; distribute qualifiers naturally across the brief