Football Overpaid quarterbacks are breaking the NFL salary cap.

**The Franchise** · 08-31-2017, 10:06 AM

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/...id=mailsignout

Matthew Stafford is the highest-paid player in NFL history. That doesn't sound right, and the crazy thing is we all expected it to eventually happen a year ago.

Interesting prediction from @corryjoel on next player that'll beat Luck for highest paid in NFL: Matthew Stafford
— Ross Tucker (@RossTuckerNFL) June 30, 2016

Even crazier than Stafford holding that title? Kirk Cousins is about nine months away from prying the "highest-paid in history" belt away from him.

Seriously rooting for Bortles to have a Freeman 2010 type of year and for Jags to win AFC South so he's the highest paid player ever.
— Scott Kacsmar (@FO_ScottKacsmar) August 29, 2017

The NFL's quarterback market is out of control and has been ever since Joe Flacco signed his name on a six-year, $120.6 million contract in 2013. It needs fixing. Quarterbacks have too much leverage and are taking up too much money that could be more evenly split between their teammates.

With that in mind, we set out to develop a system to stop the quarterback contract bubble from bursting. Obviously this would need to be collectively bargained between the owners and the NFLPA, so we attempted to create incentives for all sides. It's not perfect - and would probably need to be tweaked - but it's better than what we have now.

So without further ado, here is our four-point plan to better regulate the NFL's quarterback market…

1. Each team can designate one quarterback (let's call it the 'Franchise QB Tag') who does not count against a team's cap, and that quarterback does not count against the cap for the duration of his deal. If the quarterback is cut or traded, the dead money counts against the cap.

We'll use the Texans as an example. Upon signing Brock Osweiler last offseason, Houston would have tagged him as their designated franchise quarterback, so his contract would not have counted toward the team's cap. When they traded him this past offseason, the $9 million in dead money he left behind would count against their cap, though the trade would allow the Texans to place the Franchise QB Tag on another passer if they chose to do so.

2. Set max contracts (salary, guarantees and years included), which are tiered based on certain statistical accomplishments and accolades. The contract figures are based on a percentage of the salary cap.

In order to keep quarterback contracts from continuing to grow out of control, we'll set max contracts for quarterbacks as the NBA does for all of its players. In order to keep quarterbacks like Stafford from demanding Aaron Rodgers Money, these contracts will be tiered based on accomplishments (similar to the NBA's super max contracts).

We'll have three tiers…

Tier 1 is reserved for QUARTERBACKS who have…
Finished in the top-3 in MVP voting once in the last three years or…

Made an All-Pro team at least once during the last three years or…

Made three Pro Bowls in the previous five years or…

Led the league in either passing yards, touchdowns or passer rating once in the past three years

QBs qualified for Tier 1 max contracts: Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Cam Newton, Carson Palmer, Russell Wilson, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Andrew Luck

Teams can offer these quarterbacks a six-year deal based on 16% of the NFL's salary cap the season they sign their deal. In 2017, they could offer their Tier 1 QB a six-year, $160.3 million contract.

Tier 2 is reserved for QUARTERBACKS who have…
Made at least one Pro Bowl in the last three years AND…

Finished in the top-10 in either passing yards, touchdowns or passer rating once in the last three years

QBs qualified for Tier 2 max contracts: Matthew Stafford, Derek Carr, Eli Manning, Dak Prescott, Alex Smith, Andy Dalton, Kirk Cousins, Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, Philip Rivers

Teams can offer these quarterbacks a five-year deal based on 12% of the NFL's salary cap the season they sign their deal. In 2017, they could offer their Tier 2 QB a five-year, $100 million contract.

Tier 3 is reserved for all other quarterbacks
Teams can offer these quarterbacks a four-year deal based on 9% of the NFL's salary cap the season they sign their deal. In 2017, they could offer their Tier 3 QB a four-year, $60 million contract.

If any quarterback wants to argue he has been placed in the wrong tier, there will be an MLB-style arbitration process to decide which tier he is placed into. Philip Rivers, for example, would have a compelling case to jump into Tier 1.

(Note: Teams aren't locked into those contract figures. They are the max contracts the teams can offer. The Patriots could sign Tom Brady to a four-year, $100 million contract if that's what both parties wanted.)

3. These designated contracts offer higher guarantees than quarterbacks are getting now.

Owners are benefitting from this system; they can keep their franchise quarterbacks without paying a ridiculous amount. Non-quarterbacks are happy too, as they get a bigger share of the salary cap. So how do we get quarterbacks on board? Offer them more guaranteed money. Around 60% of contracts handed out by NFL teams is guaranteed. We'll guarantee 70% of the the franchise quarterbacks contracts. The total sums of the contracts will be smaller than they are presently but the guarantees will be higher.

4. In free agency, other teams can offer one fewer year than the quarterback's current team can and only 65% of the contract would be guaranteed.

In order to help owners keep their quarterbacks at home, we'll borrow from the NBA once again. If a quarterback wants to leave a team, he'll have to leave a year of money and some guarantees on the table. Kirk Cousins can flee Washington for San Francisco, but he'll have to give up a lot of money to do so.

****

So there it is. The system isn't perfect but it keeps mostly everybody happy, allows teams to keep their franchise quarterback while still having money to build around them and leaves more money for the players who play for a shorter time than quarterbacks typically do.

Tier 2 quarterbacks would be most hurt by the system; then again, this isn't a caste system. There's nothing stopping them from playing their way into Tier 1. If you want Aaron Rodgers Money, play more like Aaron Rodgers.

It's hard to imagine the non-quarterbacks empathizing with the Tier 2 guys and their complaints about their nine-figure contracts. From a utilitarian standpoint, this is a no-brainer for the NFLPA.

Quarterbacks would still be overpaid but not outrageously so. At the very least, we wouldn't have to live in a world where Kirk Cousins is the highest-paid player in the NFL history.

Halfcan · 08-31-2017, 10:12 AM

Somebody is going to pay Alex 20 million a year-hopefully it won't be the Chiefs.

**Rausch** · 08-31-2017, 10:15 AM

Cousins looks to be the next Brees and the Skins have bungled his deal for years. That's why his $$$ will be so huge...

Discuss Thrower · 08-31-2017, 10:18 AM

Wouldn't the NFLPA reject the type of deal straight away..?

Titty Meat · 08-31-2017, 10:19 AM

A washed up CB just got 9mil so....

**Rausch** · 08-31-2017, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Wouldn't the NFLPA reject the type of deal straight away..?

Yes, and I would assume they'll be more aggressive after their last "friendly" negotiations ended with longer suspensions for players...

**notorious** · 08-31-2017, 10:21 AM

**** no. If you have an Elite QB, it HAS to count against the cap. Do you want the rich to get even richer?

By making it count against the cap it at least help with balance a little.

Might be the stupidest idea I have ever seen.

**notorious** · 08-31-2017, 10:22 AM

Imagine Russell Wilson's contract not counting against the cap. It would vastly disrupt the balance of the NFL.

jaa1025 · 08-31-2017, 10:25 AM

The NFLPA is not going to agree to any deal that caps salaries.

Discuss Thrower · 08-31-2017, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notorious

Imagine Russell Wilson's contract not counting against the cap. It would vastly disrupt the balance of the NFL.

Okay, so what's going to happen in a world with the 10-12 best QBs are getting 30%+ of the cap and only one or two of those twelve guys are elite enough to make up for the talent deficiencies on their rosters while the other eight-ten guys can't?

Pasta Little Brioni · 08-31-2017, 10:26 AM

Horrible ideas. Sounds like a Patriotard fan. They already cheat the cap with Brady.

**Rausch** · 08-31-2017, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Okay, so what's going to happen in a world with the 10-12 best QBs are getting 30%+ of the cap and only one or two of those twelve guys are elite enough to make up for the talent deficiencies on their rosters while the other eight-ten guys can't?

There will always be someone willing to overpay for any position.

The league as a whole will not overpay in general...

**notorious** · 08-31-2017, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Okay, so what's going to happen in a world with the 10-12 best QBs are getting 30%+ of the cap and only one or two of those twelve guys are elite enough to make up for the talent deficiencies on their rosters while the other eight-ten guys can't?

Let the team deal with it. It's their decision.

Imagine Indy with Manning, but he doesn't count against the cap. Imagine Denver, and he doesn't count against the cap.

That would allow them to acquire/keep 2 more elite players. Does that help league balance?

With Mahomes being a badass, a rule like this will help the Chiefs, but I still can't get behind it.

TambaBerry · 08-31-2017, 10:34 AM

What about players like Tom Brady who is only making 14 million against the cap when he is the best qb in the league. Should they be forced to pay him more?

**notorious** · 08-31-2017, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pasta Giant Meatball

Horrible ideas. Sounds like a Patriotard fan. They already cheat the cap with Brady.

This is a great point. Show me another elite player in any sport that wouldn't get hammered by their union for taking way under market value.

Brady and the Pats get a pass for some reason. The Union just turns a blind eye.

08-31-2017, 10:06 AM
The Franchise Most Valuable Villain Join Date: Dec 2006 Casino cash: $2065047	Overpaid quarterbacks are breaking the NFL salary cap. http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/...id=mailsignout Matthew Stafford is the highest-paid player in NFL history. That doesn't sound right, and the crazy thing is we all expected it to eventually happen a year ago. Interesting prediction from @corryjoel on next player that'll beat Luck for highest paid in NFL: Matthew Stafford — Ross Tucker (@RossTuckerNFL) June 30, 2016 Even crazier than Stafford holding that title? Kirk Cousins is about nine months away from prying the "highest-paid in history" belt away from him. Seriously rooting for Bortles to have a Freeman 2010 type of year and for Jags to win AFC South so he's the highest paid player ever. — Scott Kacsmar (@FO_ScottKacsmar) August 29, 2017 The NFL's quarterback market is out of control and has been ever since Joe Flacco signed his name on a six-year, $120.6 million contract in 2013. It needs fixing. Quarterbacks have too much leverage and are taking up too much money that could be more evenly split between their teammates. With that in mind, we set out to develop a system to stop the quarterback contract bubble from bursting. Obviously this would need to be collectively bargained between the owners and the NFLPA, so we attempted to create incentives for all sides. It's not perfect - and would probably need to be tweaked - but it's better than what we have now. So without further ado, here is our four-point plan to better regulate the NFL's quarterback market… 1. Each team can designate one quarterback (let's call it the 'Franchise QB Tag') who does not count against a team's cap, and that quarterback does not count against the cap for the duration of his deal. If the quarterback is cut or traded, the dead money counts against the cap. We'll use the Texans as an example. Upon signing Brock Osweiler last offseason, Houston would have tagged him as their designated franchise quarterback, so his contract would not have counted toward the team's cap. When they traded him this past offseason, the $9 million in dead money he left behind would count against their cap, though the trade would allow the Texans to place the Franchise QB Tag on another passer if they chose to do so. 2. Set max contracts (salary, guarantees and years included), which are tiered based on certain statistical accomplishments and accolades. The contract figures are based on a percentage of the salary cap. In order to keep quarterback contracts from continuing to grow out of control, we'll set max contracts for quarterbacks as the NBA does for all of its players. In order to keep quarterbacks like Stafford from demanding Aaron Rodgers Money, these contracts will be tiered based on accomplishments (similar to the NBA's super max contracts). We'll have three tiers… Tier 1 is reserved for QUARTERBACKS who have… Finished in the top-3 in MVP voting once in the last three years or… Made an All-Pro team at least once during the last three years or… Made three Pro Bowls in the previous five years or… Led the league in either passing yards, touchdowns or passer rating once in the past three years QBs qualified for Tier 1 max contracts: Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Cam Newton, Carson Palmer, Russell Wilson, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Andrew Luck Teams can offer these quarterbacks a six-year deal based on 16% of the NFL's salary cap the season they sign their deal. In 2017, they could offer their Tier 1 QB a six-year, $160.3 million contract. Tier 2 is reserved for QUARTERBACKS who have… Made at least one Pro Bowl in the last three years AND… Finished in the top-10 in either passing yards, touchdowns or passer rating once in the last three years QBs qualified for Tier 2 max contracts: Matthew Stafford, Derek Carr, Eli Manning, Dak Prescott, Alex Smith, Andy Dalton, Kirk Cousins, Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, Philip Rivers Teams can offer these quarterbacks a five-year deal based on 12% of the NFL's salary cap the season they sign their deal. In 2017, they could offer their Tier 2 QB a five-year, $100 million contract. Tier 3 is reserved for all other quarterbacks Teams can offer these quarterbacks a four-year deal based on 9% of the NFL's salary cap the season they sign their deal. In 2017, they could offer their Tier 3 QB a four-year, $60 million contract. If any quarterback wants to argue he has been placed in the wrong tier, there will be an MLB-style arbitration process to decide which tier he is placed into. Philip Rivers, for example, would have a compelling case to jump into Tier 1. (Note: Teams aren't locked into those contract figures. They are the max contracts the teams can offer. The Patriots could sign Tom Brady to a four-year, $100 million contract if that's what both parties wanted.) 3. These designated contracts offer higher guarantees than quarterbacks are getting now. Owners are benefitting from this system; they can keep their franchise quarterbacks without paying a ridiculous amount. Non-quarterbacks are happy too, as they get a bigger share of the salary cap. So how do we get quarterbacks on board? Offer them more guaranteed money. Around 60% of contracts handed out by NFL teams is guaranteed. We'll guarantee 70% of the the franchise quarterbacks contracts. The total sums of the contracts will be smaller than they are presently but the guarantees will be higher. 4. In free agency, other teams can offer one fewer year than the quarterback's current team can and only 65% of the contract would be guaranteed. In order to help owners keep their quarterbacks at home, we'll borrow from the NBA once again. If a quarterback wants to leave a team, he'll have to leave a year of money and some guarantees on the table. Kirk Cousins can flee Washington for San Francisco, but he'll have to give up a lot of money to do so. **** So there it is. The system isn't perfect but it keeps mostly everybody happy, allows teams to keep their franchise quarterback while still having money to build around them and leaves more money for the players who play for a shorter time than quarterbacks typically do. Tier 2 quarterbacks would be most hurt by the system; then again, this isn't a caste system. There's nothing stopping them from playing their way into Tier 1. If you want Aaron Rodgers Money, play more like Aaron Rodgers. It's hard to imagine the non-quarterbacks empathizing with the Tier 2 guys and their complaints about their nine-figure contracts. From a utilitarian standpoint, this is a no-brainer for the NFLPA. Quarterbacks would still be overpaid but not outrageously so. At the very least, we wouldn't have to live in a world where Kirk Cousins is the highest-paid player in the NFL history.
Posts: 92,316

08-31-2017, 10:12 AM	#2
Halfcan In Search of a Life Join Date: Aug 2005 Casino cash: $7327995	Somebody is going to pay Alex 20 million a year-hopefully it won't be the Chiefs.
Posts: 43,200

08-31-2017, 10:18 AM	#4
Discuss Thrower "You like to drink?" Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: "I like to drink." Casino cash: $-420000	Wouldn't the NFLPA reject the type of deal straight away..? __________________ Chiefs 2016 Opponents: Home: JAX, TEN, NO, TB, NYJ. Away: HOU, IND, ATL, CAR, PIT Chiefs 2017 Opponents: Home: BUF, MIA, PHI, WSH, AFC North. Away: NE, NYJ, NYG, DAL, AFC South
Posts: 45,272

08-31-2017, 10:19 AM	#5
Titty Meat Inmem 2.0 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: My house Casino cash: $-1222442	A washed up CB just got 9mil so....
Posts: 78,161

08-31-2017, 10:21 AM	#7
notorious Supporter Join Date: May 2005 Location: Who knows? Casino cash: $-1014116	**** no. If you have an Elite QB, it HAS to count against the cap. Do you want the rich to get even richer? By making it count against the cap it at least help with balance a little. Might be the stupidest idea I have ever seen.
Posts: 88,594

08-31-2017, 10:22 AM	#8
notorious Supporter Join Date: May 2005 Location: Who knows? Casino cash: $-1014116	Imagine Russell Wilson's contract not counting against the cap. It would vastly disrupt the balance of the NFL.
Posts: 88,594

08-31-2017, 10:25 AM	#9
jaa1025 Veteran Join Date: Nov 2006 Casino cash: $10000898	The NFLPA is not going to agree to any deal that caps salaries.
Posts: 2,922

08-31-2017, 10:26 AM	#11
Pasta Little Brioni Consuming CP souls Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: U.S.A. Casino cash: $128880	Horrible ideas. Sounds like a Patriotard fan. They already cheat the cap with Brady. __________________ **Official TFWdemB Trivia Commisioner**
Posts: 73,025

08-31-2017, 10:34 AM	#14
TambaBerry MVP Join Date: Jan 2013 Casino cash: $-1564459	What about players like Tom Brady who is only making 14 million against the cap when he is the best qb in the league. Should they be forced to pay him more?
Posts: 10,927