The Russell Wilson contract had me thinking…

With the news breaking late Monday night, via Russell Wilson’s twitter, he’s gotten the deal of a lifetime. Technically it’s only the next four years, but you know what I’m saying. Wilson has become the new highest paid player in terms of contract value, guaranteed money, and signing bonus. He’s set a new bar, that’s for certain. It was just beyond a year ago, our QB Jimmy Garoppolo held that status. What exactly does that mean to a franchise and a locker room?

Time to cut the check

When a franchise makes a long-term commitment to a player by giving them the record-breaking deal, it tends to show loyalty and trust in a player. Being the face, future and foundation of the franchise is a big ask of a player. I also see it as a slight to the other players in that locker room. Once the team has allocated so much money to one person, regardless of position, that team has now made the salary cap science into managerial nightmare. Sometimes, you can plan for the fact that “Player X” has negotiations coming up and “Player Z” will be the one franchise tag of the season. More often than not, the large signee tends to do as much, if not more harm than good to the stability and contention of a franchise. There is only so much money to go around in the salary cap, and every player in that locker room has sacrificed and a family to provide for. Granted, not all positions may seem as important as the next, but that position is on the field for a reason. You can’t tell me players don’t notice.

Darned if you DO, and if you DON’T

When a team is falling out of contention it gives the fan base, as well as the front office, something to hang their hats on with having a star player to hold a smirk about. It also allocates a majority of spending money on one body, that may or may not be healthy and available. It sends the message that “Player X” is exceptional and we must give him his worth. The next year when “Player Z” has the negotiations, the salary cap has a huge hit that it must account for. Which in turn minimizes the ability to find common ground without allowing “Player Z” to seek other offers. The quarterback position is the most important position on the field and will always be in high demand. Especially with the direction the league is going, and the rules in place to encourage a high-flying passing attack. Therefore, even average and below average quarterbacks will find a way to fill someone’s void at the position. Teams that let their own quarterback walk away to sign a richer offer with another franchise tend to be right more often than wrong.

So, he got paid, and didn’t produce?

Of the top five highest paid quarterbacks in 2018 there was a whopping 2 postseason victories. One of which, the big money was on the bench the entire game. Teams who structure the cap based around the quarterback’s salaries in their first deal beyond rookie contracts, tend to lose a lot of key pieces that carried them when the money was readily available to the team. The teams that have paid the quarterback position, and the player then restructures his contract to be team friendly, tend to stand a much greater chance of capturing the Lombardi trophy. The New Orleans Saints were handcuffed by Drew Brees’ large consumption of salary cap for years. Thus, forcing them to settle for rebounding players to fill in spots just because they were affordable, it wasn’t until he restructured the numbers that they could regain a competitive balance throughout the roster. Their 2017 draft class also landed some heavy hitters to make up for money not being spent. Jimmy Garoppolo hasn’t been the healthiest of acquisitions, but he had been paid amongst the greats. I believe the team will need some of that money back to reach full potential at a Super Bowl run. Time will tell, but Garoppolo is facing a lot of pressure. He got paid. Now he must produce.