Several years ago, the process for negotiating long-term contracts with deserving quarterbacks was simple. The next man up became the highest-paid player in league history, by roughly $500,000 annually. More recently, that process has become complicated by a variety of factors, including but not limited to the ongoing influx of talented young quarterbacks and the increasing willingness of teams to pull the plug on a veteran bird in the hand.
Now, there’s a $15 million-per-year gap between the highest-paid quarterback (Patrick Mahomes at $45 million per year) and the tenth player on the list (Matt Ryan, at $30 million). There’s no denying the fact that Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has earned a new deal that supplants the roughly $5.5 million he’s due to earn in 2022, the fourth year of a slotted rookie contract. The challenge becomes figuring out where he should land in the hierarchy of quarterback deals.
It won’t be easy, especially not with Murray. From the player’s perspective (and as explained in his agent’s lengthy public statement from Monday), he’s an ascending talent who has helped convert a bad Arizona team into a contender. From the team’s perspective, there are obvious concerns regarding both durability and, for two straight years, in-season regression of quarterback team performance.
Then there’s the bizarre hit job that landed on Super Bowl Sunday, when Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com shared anonymous opinions painting Murray as “self-centered, immature and finger pointer.” Some regarded that as an effort by the upper reaches of the Cardinals organization (i.e., ownership) to express dismay regarding Murray’s contractual expectations and to knock them down or a peg or two, or ten.
So what are the expectations? On Sunday, Burkhardt chimed in regarding our take that Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers deserves $50 million per year on a new deal: “Frankly, Rodgers is worth well more than $50m per… ANNOUNCERS are now making $20m+! To drive to the game, out of harm’s way, & just talk about QBs/ players!”
Right or wrong (and he’s right), the explosion of TV and gambling revenue will keep driving the salary cap higher and higher. That means the best players should be getting more and more.
So it’s not just a question of where the market currently is, but where it will be. For each player, the challenge becomes complicated by pegging where he lands for now, and where he’ll be as the cap increases and the market climbs with it.
That’s why I’ll continue to advocate guaranteeing franchise quarterbacks a fixed percentage of the salary cap, each and every year. It protects the player against having a good deal become a bad one, and it ensures that, as the spending limit rises, his compensation will receive a commensurate bump.
None of that matters when it comes to Murray. Both sides will need to find an acceptable amount and structure on a long-term contract. It definitely won’t be easy, as evidenced by the early moves that both sides have made.
