NFL 2021 Off-Season

[worstblogever]

I'm glad Smith made a successful comeback, but man, I wish he would retire and either become a coach or join an NFL pre-game show cast. I fear he's pushing his luck after football damn near killed him.

He would be an ideal signing for the Jaguars if he's understanding he's going to be mostly holding a clipboard and helping develop Trevor Lawrence. Hell, he and Urban Meyer go back, that's his coach when he was at Utah ages ago.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

New Orleans continued its insane task at cutting cap space. The Saints approaching this season was well over $100+ million from the salary cap floor. But as they started cutting players , reworking contracts and Drew Brees retired they have now worked it down to being over $49+ million over the cap floor. Today they reworked contracts for Demario Davis and Cameron Jordan saving $13.4 million in cap space.

Its expected the Saints will begin trading some pieces away to get there as well as making more roster cuts.

[MRP]

Dak got PAID! Highest signing bonus in NFL history $66 million (with $75 millions due in year one of the contract) $126 million guaranteed. It's a 6 year deal, voidable after 4 to worth up to $164 million ($160 over the 4 years) working out to $42 million average annually in the first 3 years, and his cap hit in year one will be $22 million (rather than the $37.7 the franchise tag would have garnered).

Edit to add: Contract also has no trade and no tag provisions in it though the Cowboys tagged him today as a procedural matter until the contract becomes official.

-M

[babyblob]

Dak got PAID! Highest signing bonus in NFL history $66 million (with $75 millions due in year one of the contract) $126 million guaranteed. It's a 6 year deal, voidable after 4 to worth up to $164 million ($160 over the 4 years) working out to $42 million average annually in the first 3 years, and his cap hit in year one will be $22 million (rather than the $37.7 the franchise tag would have garnered).

Edit to add: Contract also has no trade and no tag provisions in it though the Cowboys tagged him today as a procedural matter until the contract becomes official.

-M

I mean is he really worth all this?

[MRP]

I mean is he really worth all this?

Is any athlete really worth the money they get? But it's the going rate for what top-tier QBs are going to get, and Dak's numbers are among the elite for the time he has been in the league. He's played four seasons, never had a losing record in a season for the games he's started, made the playoffs twice in that time, and been among the statistical leaders every season except the one he was injured (and he was leading or near the top of most of the offensive categories when he got hurt last year).

It's in the right range for what comparable QBs are getting right now.

-M

[Scott Taylor]

Just for comparison purposes:

1. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes: $45 million
2. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott: $40 million
3. Texans QB Deshaun Watson: $39 million
4. Seahawks QB Russell Wilson: $35 million
5. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers: $33.5 million
5. Lion QB Jared Goff: $33.5 million
7. Vikings QB Kirk Cousins: $33 million
8. Colts QB Carson Wentz: $32 million
9. Falcons QB Matt Ryan: $30 million
10 Titans QB Ryan Tannehill: $29.5 million

At least the highest paid guy has actually won a Super Bowl for his team. Not any of the rest though, although most of the rest did make the playoffs. Still you could argue that five or six of these guys will never ever even get a whiff of a division championship. Meanwhile the guy who won this past season and who has won the most Super Bowls wins of all time? Not even in the top ten.

These guys aren't real estate. You don't have to value them by using comps. And even if you are using comps, Brady should be the ultimate comp.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Just for comparison purposes:

1. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes: $45 million
2. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott: $40 million
3. Texans QB Deshaun Watson: $39 million
4. Seahawks QB Russell Wilson: $35 million
5. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers: $33.5 million
5. Lion QB Jared Goff: $33.5 million
7. Vikings QB Kirk Cousins: $33 million
8. Colts QB Carson Wentz: $32 million
9. Falcons QB Matt Ryan: $30 million
10 Titans QB Ryan Tannehill: $29.5 million

At least the highest paid guy has actually won a Super Bowl for his team. Not any of the rest though, although most of the rest did make the playoffs. Still you could argue that five or six of these guys will never ever even get a whiff of a division championship. Meanwhile the guy who won this past season and who has won the most Super Bowls wins of all time? Not even in the top ten.

These guys aren't real estate. You don't have to value them by using comps. And even if you are using comps, Brady should be the ultimate comp.

Mahomes deal actually averages $39.5 million a season until 2022. The Chiefs did this with an idea to sign other players as well (Kelce , Jones , Hill etc). They literally backlogged the contract for 2022/2023 when the rise to $45+ million a season begins. But as long term deals go , Mahomes left KC in a good spot for the salary cap ahead. (The Chiefs have said the long term nature of Mahomes deal allows them to later redo it as well to help them cap wise and Mahomes did this with an idea on winning more ahead) .


I wonder if Prescott has a team friendly contract as Mahomes did ? To keep players around etc ?

[MRP]

Mahomes deal actually averages $39.5 million a season until 2022. The Chiefs did this with an idea to sign other players as well (Kelce , Jones , Hill etc). They literally backlogged the contract for 2022/2023 when the rise to $45+ million a season begins. But as long term deals go , Mahomes left KC in a good spot for the salary cap ahead. (The Chiefs have said the long term nature of Mahomes deal allows them to later redo it as well to help them cap wise and Mahomes did this with an idea on winning more ahead) .


I wonder if Prescott has a team friendly contract as Mahomes did ? To keep players around etc ?

His cap hit this upcoming season is $22 million (vs the $37.7 it would have been if he played under the tag). The deal is frontloaded, but for 6 years, allowing the cap hit to be spread out, but it voids after year 4 if they choose to, leaving Dak able to be a free agent again at age 31 still possibly in his prime years. So it helps them with the cap this year, when it will be low because of the pandemic effects, and bigger when the new revenue deal kicks in and cap numbers will go up, so it's team friendly to a degree.

And if contracts were simply based on past performance, they I'd agree Brady should be highest paid, but they also pay for future potential, and while Brady has defied Father Time thus far, you never know when Father Time's scythe will cut down and impact Brady's effectiveness, so you hedge your bets on a 40+ year old's contract. Most of the others on the list (with Ryan and Cousins being possible exceptions, and maybe Rogers) are on the early side of their prime or at their peak rather than on the downside of their prime, so they are getting paid for their prime years not the nadir of their careers.

-M

[SUPERECWFAN1]

His cap hit this upcoming season is $22 million (vs the $37.7 it would have been if he played under the tag). The deal is frontloaded, but for 6 years, allowing the cap hit to be spread out, but it voids after year 4 if they choose to, leaving Dak able to be a free agent again at age 31 still possibly in his prime years. So it helps them with the cap this year, when it will be low because of the pandemic effects, and bigger when the new revenue deal kicks in and cap numbers will go up, so it's team friendly to a degree.

And if contracts were simply based on past performance, they I'd agree Brady should be highest paid, but they also pay for future potential, and while Brady has defied Father Time thus far, you never know when Father Time's scythe will cut down and impact Brady's effectiveness, so you hedge your bets on a 40+ year old's contract. Most of the others on the list (with Ryan and Cousins being possible exceptions, and maybe Rogers) are on the early side of their prime or at their peak rather than on the downside of their prime, so they are getting paid for their prime years not the nadir of their careers.

-M

I'd say of those QB's contracts there are 2 regrets contract wise that we see with prices given.

- Kirk Cousins at that level hasn't gotten the Vikings past the divisional round in playoffs and his record as a starter is 25-22-1 in that span. People have questioned why the Vikings are paying Cousins that much for really...lackluster results. (Its wild that journey man QB Case Keenum took them farther with a winning record and that miracle playoff game.


- Jared Goff as we saw was traded due to his play and his contract being way too much. By luck the LA Rams found someone crazy to take that contract as we saw with Detroit.


Prescott is now at the Mahomes level contract wise and he now has to step up and prove he can win like Mahomes has and get to Super Bowls etc. The pressure is clearly on him and the Cowboys right now. The superstar standard QB is now at $40+ million and teams who draft QB's have big decisions to make. Do you pay on "potential to get there.." or the results. Lucky for KC they paid on the results as Mahomes became a superstar QB. His one bad game (and he has rare bad games as we have seen) is that last Super Bowl.

Honestly I'm happy Prescott got paid but Dallas I think should have paid him in the Kirk Cousins-Russell Wilson spot contract wise...for now. Then redo the deal once he had been to Super Bowl and win.

[MRP]

I'd say of those QB's contracts there are 2 regrets contract wise that we see with prices given.

- Kirk Cousins at that level hasn't gotten the Vikings past the divisional round in playoffs and his record as a starter is 25-22-1 in that span. People have questioned why the Vikings are paying Cousins that much for really...lackluster results. (Its wild that journey man QB Case Keenum took them farther with a winning record and that miracle playoff game.


- Jared Goff as we saw was traded due to his play and his contract being way too much. By luck the LA Rams found someone crazy to take that contract as we saw with Detroit.


Prescott is now at the Mahomes level contract wise and he now has to step up and prove he can win like Mahomes has and get to Super Bowls etc. The pressure is clearly on him and the Cowboys right now. The superstar standard QB is now at $40+ million and teams who draft QB's have big decisions to make. Do you pay on "potential to get there.." or the results. Lucky for KC they paid on the results as Mahomes became a superstar QB. His one bad game (and he has rare bad games as we have seen) is that last Super Bowl.

Honestly I'm happy Prescott got paid but Dallas I think should have paid him in the Kirk Cousins-Russell Wilson spot contract wise...for now. Then redo the deal once he had been to Super Bowl and win.

Dak wasn't going to sign for that. He would have taken the $37.7 on the tag and walked next year and someone else would have paid big to get him. He pretty much had all the leverage in the negotiations despite his injury. Dallas only option was sign him for what he got, or tag him and use the #10 pick on their next QB because Dak would be somewhere else in 2022.

-M

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Just for comparison purposes:

1. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes: $45 million
2. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott: $40 million
3. Texans QB Deshaun Watson: $39 million
4. Seahawks QB Russell Wilson: $35 million
5. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers: $33.5 million
5. Lion QB Jared Goff: $33.5 million
7. Vikings QB Kirk Cousins: $33 million
8. Colts QB Carson Wentz: $32 million
9. Falcons QB Matt Ryan: $30 million
10 Titans QB Ryan Tannehill: $29.5 million

At least the highest paid guy has actually won a Super Bowl for his team. Not any of the rest though, although most of the rest did make the playoffs. Still you could argue that five or six of these guys will never ever even get a whiff of a division championship. Meanwhile the guy who won this past season and who has won the most Super Bowls wins of all time? Not even in the top ten.

These guys aren't real estate. You don't have to value them by using comps. And even if you are using comps, Brady should be the ultimate comp.

Mr. Rodgers would disagree with you:



As for Prescott, I was startled at the numbers in his contract, but hey, if Dallas was willing to give him all that money, more power to them, even if that doesn't guarantee Prescott will be able to help the Cowboys will break their quarter century Super Bowl drought.

[MRP]

Mr. Rodgers would disagree with you:



As for Prescott, I was startled at the numbers in his contract, but hey, if Dallas was willing to give him all that money, more power to them, even if that doesn't guarantee Prescott will be able to help the Cowboys will break their quarter century Super Bowl drought.

Russell Wilson has also won a Super Bowl and made it (and lost) to a second one.

-M

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Russell Wilson has also won a Super Bowl and made it (and lost) to a second one.

-M

Damn! Forgot about Russ! And if Pete Carroll called a rush play for Marshawn Lynch instead of that ill-fated pass, Wilson would have two!

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Dak wasn't going to sign for that. He would have taken the $37.7 on the tag and walked next year and someone else would have paid big to get him. He pretty much had all the leverage in the negotiations despite his injury. Dallas only option was sign him for what he got, or tag him and use the #10 pick on their next QB because Dak would be somewhere else in 2022.

-M

I don't know if they would have paid him over Russell Wilson money coming off an injury that price. But given the salary cap situation Dallas was in according to OverTheCap (they are projected to be $1.1+ million over cap) they had to do this deal. Because as you brought up that tagging Prescott would cost $37+ million. So they had to likely do the best cheaper option here...

[Deathstroke]

If you think Dak Prescott is worth that kind of money, there is something drastically wrong with your thinking. He may have pretty numbers but he is not going to make Dallas a Super Bowl winner. Kudos to him for fooling Jerry Jones that he will though.