Deebo wants $25m/year. Is the WR market broken?
 

I read this and was talking about this with a friend yesterday.

I entered this offseason finding a way to stomach $20m/year for Tyreek. When the rumblings started to suggest $25m/year, I could barely contain myself. The strain that will put on our cap -- or any team's cap -- to pay that much for a player who can't even make his own plays without a QB getting the ball to him. That is hard to fathom.

$30m/year, though? There's no team with a competent QB in the league that will be able to pay that.

With Deebo set to ask for 25/year, that does suggest that the league could be heading to a place where elite WRs and QBs simply cannot be on the same team anymore. That your best hope is for a WR or a QB who immediately becomes elite on their rookie contract, or in the case of the stupid Bengals, one of each.

Because with Derek Carr going $40m/year, that means you're looking at $60-80m a year being tied up in two players.

How do we see this playing out over the next five years? Is there a WR bubble that's about to burst?

Hill is only getting $23 million a year. /King

The cap is skyrocketing soon. This is what is happening with that. Shouldn't be a surprise.

I was right about Deebo, just wanted to say that.

Hill is getting $24.5M for 4 years, assuming the 4th year on his extension isn't picked up. Just to clarify.

No matter what the cap is the next few years, the WR market is definitely one I'd stay out of for a while. If I'm Veach I'd be trying to take one in each of the first two rounds, even if you're reaching. Let them grow with Mahomes under cheap rookie deals.

It's just too easy to take a game breaking WR out of a game, as we saw many times with Tyreek. Sure, they have to double and triple cover them, but if you have nobody else that can get open it's a plan that works. Much better to have four #2 caliber guys than a #1 and three scabs like we've been doing.

I'm sure the NFLPA would never allow it, but I'm curious how a positional salary cap might work, or at least a separate cap number for QBs.

Sorry, this is how the market should be. You pay for elite stars and go cheaper elsewhere.

Deebo at 25 is far better than Kirk at 18.

Trade his ass. One ingrate isn't bigger than the team.

The modern NFL is about drafting well, keeping rosters young and cheap. Pay a few vets big contracts. Perhaps the NFL needs to create a new rule that allows teams to have 1 offensive player and 1 defensive player who is not subject to the cap. The only catch is that they have to be fully guaranteed contracts or something.

We don't talk about Deebo

no no no

We don't talk about Deeboooooooooooooo

It has exploded and I can't say I'd be comfortable paying $25m+ for anyone other than a Tyreek Hill or Davante Adams, but I don't agree with any sort of cap on positional spending. Let the free market reign.

Based on the modern NFL, seems prudent to overpay for QB, WR and OL when necessary. Save your money on RBs and TEs.

No. It just got accelerated a year or two too early.

From a player's association standpoint, though, this is a bad thing long-term.

The league has brutal turnover as it is. The more high-end deals you see, the more stars/scrubs teams you'll see. In the process it will squeeze out the 2nd contract guys and the middle class FAs will see diminished returns as well.

If the rank/file players in the NFLPA were smart, they'd look to get a handle on some of this and perhaps see if there could be ways to create max deals for certain position groups and/or carveouts for QBs.

Otherwise this is only going to get worse for them.

But the good news for them is there are always dumb teams who overpay the middle class in FA.

Happens every year.