Author: Max Greenberg
Just when you think the NFL offseason has seen all it can handle, another development comes up. The actual season was bonkers enough, and it has gotten to the point where the offseason has been the craziest it has ever been.
It started with Russell Wilson getting traded, then Carson Wentz got traded, Tom Brady came out of retirement, and Deshaun Watson got traded. Several other key non-quarterbacks were dealt, most notably Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill.
The AFC has several teams that could be looked at as contenders, and the AFC West in particular might be one of the most stacked divisions of all time. Besides going rates, what has led to the utter madness we have seen within the past month?
Let’s start by refuting a common misconception among NFL fans – the salary cap is most certainly not a myth. Teams are shipping off big name players due to financial restraints, and in no way is this more obvious than looking at the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs.
Both have two of the best quarterbacks in the league and both have contracts of over $50M per year. They did also have two of the best receivers in the game in Adams and Hill, but both wanted close to $30M per year, a price that neither team could come close to affording. Obviously, this led to the aforementioned trades of both players.
What this is showing us moving forward is that wide receivers, and really all big name skill position players are going to have a tough dilemma moving forward. Are these guys going to want to prioritize money, or are they going to want to prioritize winning?
We are seeing that once elite quarterbacks and elite skill position players are ready for second contracts, it is going to be tough if not impossible for them to coexist while maximizing their values. Of course, teams are going to prioritize their quarterbacks, so in most cases, it will be up to the skill position guys to decide which route they want to take. It is only a matter of time before we see how it affects Stefon Diggs when Josh Allen’s contract makes things messy.
But looking at the bigger picture, why are so many teams making all in moves like the ones that have been made this offseason? The truth is that in today’s NFL, we are living in an era of extreme desperation. And the Los Angeles Rams proved that by making the right moves, going all in can work.
The NFL, like all other leagues, is a copycat league, and other teams will follow the same guidelines as the Rams. They think they are one big piece or two away from making noise, and some of them might be correct, but for the others, there are going to be many regretted decisions a few years down the road.
The Browns giving up the package they did PLUS giving Deshaun Watson a contract that is five years, worth $230M fully guaranteed, is a HUGE risk, especially for someone with noted character issues. The Dolphins are taking a major risk by acquiring a $30M per year receiver before they are confident in their quarterback, and I personally struggle to believe that Hill is worth two fourth rounders, a sixth, and $3M more than Adams.
These moves make sense in theory, but remember that only two teams make the Super Bowl every year, and only one wins it. There are going to be many extremely talented rosters on the outside looking in, and it puts us at a serious crossroads moving forward.
Are we going to see teams fail at making these moves and see more caution from others moving forward, or are we going to see even more desperation in order to salvage whatever possible? If history is any indication, teams are going to continue to get greedy, especially in a league in which the cap goes up every year.
That being said, the cap is only so much, and prices add up when you have to pay so many players. It feels like these teams are going to be broken to the point of being unable to make big money moves like we have seen this offseason, and it may not be this offseason or the one after, but it cannot be far out.
SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE
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