Last month, we took a look at the candidates to be the first player to reach $60 million per year in new-money average.
This week, three names exited the list.
Matthew Stafford, Tua Tagovailoa, and Jordan Love resolved their contract issues. The highest-paid of the trio — Love — fell $5 million short.
So who’s next to get paid, and will he become The Six Million Dollar Man, times ten?
The most obvious candidate continues to be Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. The Cowboys have no way of keeping him from the open market in 2025. Prescott has no qualms about holding firm for what he wants. The question remains whether Jerry Jones, who constantly praises Prescott when the audience consists of those who would buy tickets to games, has to decide whether to put his money where his mouth is, when it comes to the player.
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy becomes eligible for a new contract after the 2024 regular season ends. While he could get to $55.1 million (leapfrogging a three-year tie at $55 million), $60 million will be a bridge too far — even if he wins a Super Bowl this year.
Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is two seasons away from eligibility for a new deal. Given that none of this year’s new deals have beaten the high-water mark set by Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow last year, it very well could be that no one will get to $60 million before Stroud signs his second deal.
Then we have the guys who have already gotten paid who might be closing in on another bite at the apple — Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Mahomes, at $45 million per year, received a bump in his cash flow last year. He’ll likely get another before he signs a new contract, given that it runs into the next decade. Allen, as previously mentioned, is due to get paid again.
And Jackson, who should have had his second contract two years earlier than he got it, might be thinking about accelerating the timetable for his third, especially since the two-time league MVP has now seen six quarterbacks jump his $52 million per year. And, between them, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert ($52.5 million), Lions quarterback Jared Goff ($53 million), Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa ($53.1 million), and Burrow, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and Packers quarterback Jordan Love ($55 million), have zero NFL MVP wins.
So who’s next? And who gets to $60 million first? Prescott or Purdy will be next. Prescott or Stroud are likely to get to $60 million — unless Mahomes, Allen, or Jackson successfully force the issue.
Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins has played 24 games and missed 43 games in his injury-plagued NFL career, but he says he’s healthy and ready to be one of the best backs in the NFL in 2024.
“If I get the volume, I’ll be one of the best in the league,” Dobbins said. “I’ve shown that. Do you know how much yards I averaged per carry?”
Dobbins averages 5.8 yards per carry in his career, with 234 carries for 1,347 yards. Those are good numbers — or they would be good numbers for one season. But those are Dobbins’ numbers through four years of his NFL career. Last year Dobbins suffered a torn Achilles tendon in his first game, but he says he feels better than ever now.
“This injury? I feel nothing. I actually feel faster,” Dobbins said.
After playing his entire four-year career with the Ravens, Dobbins is now in his first training camp with the Chargers. That reunites him with offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who was the Ravens’ offensive coordinator for Dobbins’ first three seasons in Baltimore. Dobbins called Roman “a genius” for his ability to put running backs in good positions to succeed.
The best way for Dobbins to succeed is to stay healthy. He sounds confident he can.
Last year, as the NFL touted the safety enhancements of Guardian Caps, the league wasn’t willing to allow players to wear them during games. Several months ago, the league quietly reversed course.
And it looks like changes are being made in order to make the external helmet padding look less cumbersone if/when it shows up on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, and any other days the NFL plays its games.
As noted by Albert Breer of SI.com, Guardian Caps worn by the Chargers now have outer wraps that make them look more like helmets.
We’ve yet to see similar photos from other camps. In L.A., it’s already commonplace, even on the first day of training-camp practice.
It could be a sign that new coach Jim Harbaugh not only supports but also encourages his players to take advantage of the protection afforded by the Guardian Caps. While there’s an obvious concern about the aesthetics of televised football being disrupted by the clunky devices, the outer layer will make it far more palatable to the average viewer.
And if Guardian Caps truly make the safer, both for those wearing the helmets and those who are struck by helmets, why not use them?
For Harbaugh, who has always balanced pushing his players to excel while keeping their best interests in mind, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that he’d want them to use an extra piece of equipment that helps minimize injuries.
Why not approach it that way? Keeping players healthy is good for them as human beings. It’s also good for the coach, if it helps keep his players healthy.
It makes even more sense for the Chargers, who seem to regularly have injury issues that keep them from the outcomes their collective talents should help them achieve.
Chargers rookie linebacker Junior Colson went on the non-football injury/illness list last week with an unknown ailment.
Coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters Wednesday that Colson underwent an appendectomy.
“It’s awesome when you catch those early,” Harbaugh said. “He called Melanie, his mom, and she diagnosed it pretty quick on the phone and got him right into a hospital, and he needed his appendix out.”
Harbaugh did not have a timetable for Colson’s return.
“I don’t have my medical degree,” Harbaugh said, “so we’ll just have to see.”
It’s likely Colson misses a few weeks while recovering.
Colson, who played for Harbaugh at Michigan, was a third-round pick of the Chargers. He is expected to compete to be one of the team’s top inside linebackers this season.
The start of the offseason program was “Happy New Year” to Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh. Only 3 1/2 months have passed since then, but it was New Year’s Day all over again at the start of training camp.
And Happy Birthday.
“It’s like New Year’s Day. It feels like being born. It feels like coming out of the womb,” Harbaugh said Wednesday, via Kris Rhim of ESPN. “You’re in there. It’s comfortable and safe, and now you’re out. You’re born. Lights are on. It’s bright, chaos; people looking at you; people talking at you; and it just feels good to have it happen.”
It was 2014 when Harbaugh last coached in the NFL. He’s back and coming off a national title at the University of Michigan.
His hiring in Los Angeles has Chargers fans as excited as they have been in years.
Safety Derwin James said comparing training camp to “coming into the world” was fitting for the Chargers.
“He’s his own guy. We love him,” James said.