Best & Worst

Best and Worst Contracts 2016: Indianapolis Colts

Posted on by Jason Fitzgerald

Our picks continue in the AFC South with the Colts

Best: Mike Adams, 2 years, $4.3 million, $1.2M guaranteed

Adams certainly has been around the NFL playing with four teams over 12 seasons in the NFL, but the best years of his career have come at the end of it with the Colts. The Colts signed Adams as a minimum salaried player in 2014 where he became one of the better players for the season with 77 tackles and 5 interceptions. Adams was named to the Pro Bowl that year. Continue reading Best and Worst Contracts 2016: Indianapolis Colts »

Best and Worst Contracts 2016: Houston Texans

Posted on by Jason Fitzgerald

Kicking off our look around the AFC South with the Texans…

Best: JJ Watt, 6 years, $100 million, $20.9M guaranteed

The Texans have a few good deals on their team, but the way they handled JJ Watt’s negotiation makes it very hard to select any other player. I don’t think there was any question that Watt, when he signed his new contract, was the best defensive player in the NFL. The only question, which seems silly in hindsight, is what kind of value could you give a 34 defensive end which had not been a high priced position at that time. Continue reading Best and Worst Contracts 2016: Houston Texans »

Best and Worst Contracts 2016: Pittsburgh Steelers

Posted on by Jason Fitzgerald

We wrap up our look at the AFC North today with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Starting tomorrow or Saturday will be the AFC South, which we will kick off with the Texans.

Best: Antonio Brown, 5 years, $41.9 million, $8.5M guaranteed

I was a bit conflicted with this choice because if you go back to 2012 when this was signed Brown had one 1,100 yard season and his other year in the NFL produced less than 175 yards. Brown was a 6th round pick so it’s not as if he was a can’t miss prospect and he was not considered the number 1 receiver on the team at the time. That distinction went to Mike Wallace who was feuding with Steelers management over a contract. In many ways this contract was considered to be something of a message to Wallace that the Steelers were prepared to move on and he needed to report. So in many ways this was a risky contract. Continue reading Best and Worst Contracts 2016: Pittsburgh Steelers »

Best and Worst Contracts 2016: Cleveland Browns

Posted on by Jason Fitzgerald

Today’s best and worst contract entry focuses on the Cleveland Browns…

Best: Joe Thomas, 7 years, $80.5 million, $10M guaranteed

There is little to choose from in this area on the Browns. There are not many veterans on the team to qualify for a pick and most of those who do qualify would be in contention for the worst contract designation. So that leaves me with Thomas, one of the few consistent performers in Cleveland. Continue reading Best and Worst Contracts 2016: Cleveland Browns »

Best and Worst Contracts 2016: Cincinnati Bengals

Posted on by Jason Fitzgerald

The best and worst picks continue in the AFC North with the Bengals…

Best: Andy Dalton, 6 years, $96 million, $17M guaranteed

There are so many places to go with the Bengals who are one of the best teams, in my opinion, and consistently negotiating good contracts with their players. They are very unique in that they drive good deals that give the team major flexibility but unlike others they have almost every intention of honoring the entire contract when its signed. It makes for a different decision for a player and his agent when deciding if he should or should not sign a contract. For many players the two or three year cash flow is incredibly important because come year four the player is cut or asked to take a pay cut. The decision should come down to the more or less the entire Bengals offer versus the other teams up front cash and what you might earn after being cut in three years. Continue reading Best and Worst Contracts 2016: Cincinnati Bengals »

Best and Worst Contracts 2016: Baltimore Ravens

Posted on by Jason Fitzgerald

In Week 2 of our Best and Worst series we turn our attention to the AFC North and the Baltimore Ravens.

Best: Elvis Dumervil, 5 years, $26 million, $8.5 million guaranteed

While the Ravens I think struggle a bit with the contracts that they offer to homegrown talent, they generally drive great bargains with players that come from outside the organization. The Dumervil situation was one of the more unique ones and the Ravens pounced on the opportunity, really signing a great contract with a terrific pass rusher. Continue reading Best and Worst Contracts 2016: Baltimore Ravens »

Best and Worst NFL Contracts 2016: New York Jets

Posted on by Jason Fitzgerald

We wrap up the AFC East with a look at the New York Jets. We’ll be moving to the AFC North next week…

Best: Brandon Marshall, 3 years, $26 million, $9M guaranteed

I had a hard time selecting a best on the Jets as very little really stands out on the team as a great team friendly contract. By the same token they don’t have a bunch of bad ones either. Most are just your average middle of the road contract. I think Marshall’s contract fits in that same category but there were a few things that I thought helped it stand out as a bit better than expected. Continue reading Best and Worst NFL Contracts 2016: New York Jets »