In
, a one-day contract is an
employment contract
An employment contract or contract of employment is a kind of contract used in labour law to attribute rights and responsibilities between parties to a bargain.
The contract is between an "employee" and an "employer". It has arisen out of the old m ...
between a team and a beloved former player who is about to retire and
out of contract, in which the player symbolically rejoins the team for one day. The one-day contract provides a formal occasion for the player to announce their retirement and exchange thanks with teammates,
management
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a Government agency, government bodies through business administration, Nonprofit studies, nonprofit management, or the political s ...
, and
fans. The player signs the contract in public, typically at a
press conference
A press conference, also called news conference or press briefing, is a media event in which notable individuals or organizations invite journalism, journalists to hear them speak and ask questions. Press conferences are often held by politicia ...
. It is most associated with the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
, and with players who spent the bulk and most successful part of their career with one team, before transferring elsewhere near its end; in such cases, the one-day contract allows players to finish their career back at the team with which they were most associated.
An early example of a one-day contract was signed on August 24, 2006, by
Jerry Rice
Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played for 20 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He won three Super Bowl titles with the San Francisco 49ers before two shorter ...
with the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
, his team from 1985 to 2000. The contract was for a symbolic amount of $1,985,806.49, which Rice did not in fact collect: the figure combined his debut season (1985), jersey number (80), retirement year (2006), and team (49ers). When
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons. He spent his first 20 seasons with the New Engla ...
announced his retirement in February 2023,
Robert Kraft
Robert Kenneth Kraft (born June 5, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainmen ...
, owner of the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
for whom Brady played from 2000 to 2020, hoped to offer him a one-day contract. Although Brady was honored in Boston with a halftime ceremony in September 2023 and
Patriots Hall of Fame induction in June 2024, he signed no one-day contract; media speculated that the omission might be due to ill feeling from his 2020 departure, or a lingering hope to un-retire.
References
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Retirement
Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada
Free agent
Sports fandom
Sports culture in Canada
Sports culture in the United States
Sports labor relations
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