NFL Stock Up: Week 4

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Every Monday during the season we will take a look back at three players who are entering important stages of their contract that may have helped their stock in upcoming negotiations with their play on Sunday. In addition we will also look at one player signed in the offseason to a new contract that exceeded all expectations and provided exceptional value to his team.

Stock Up

DeMarco Murray– Something tells me he is going to be here every week as every week Murray seems to raise the bar for himself. Murray is by far the best running back in the NFL and just shredding defenses along the way. With the RB market more or less in disarray Murray has a big chance to stabilize it and maintain it over the next 5 years by reaching  for a $7-$8M a year contract.

Eddie Royal– Eddie Royal is putting together quite the nice little season in San Diego. He added two touchdowns and another 100 yards to his resume. In the last two years Royal has put up, by far, the best numbers since his rookie season back in 2008. As always its buyer beware with Royal, but he is one of the important pieces of the Chargers offense.

Brandon Flowers– A late pickup after the Chiefs decided they did not want him, Flowers had to settle for a one year contract with the Chargers in hopes of proving that he is worth a long term contract somewhere in 2015. Flowers has had a great year and is currently graded highest among corners by Pro Football Focus. His interception in the third quarter pretty much ended any hopes of a Jaguars comeback. He only allowed one receiving yard on the day.

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New Contract Player Of The Week

JJ Watt– What a dominating performance by Watt who is doing everything in his power to make everyone forget how much he recently got paid by the Houston Texans. At this rate nobody is going to ever bring up his salary he has been so good. Watt was credited with a ridiculous 14 pressures and made life miserable on Bills overwhelmed QB EJ Manual. Watt’s play where he plucked the pass out of the air and returned it for a touchdown is a play only one man in the NFL can make. You wont see that duplicated this year.

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Chiefs Release Brandon Flowers

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The Kansas City Chiefs have released CB Brandon Flowers from his five year, $48.75 million contract extension that he signed in 2011. Flowers had been scheduled to earn a $250,000 workout bonus, $2 million upon reporting to training camp, and another $5.25 million in base salary for the season. In 2015 he was scheduled to earn the same workout bonus and $6.25 million in base salary. It is possible he earned his 2014 workout bonus but the rest of the money will all disappear from the books. All told the $48.75 million extension turned into a two year deal worth $24 million.

The release leaves the Chiefs with $3 million in dead money in 2014 and another $4 million in dead money in 2015. This dead money comes from the remaining prorations of a $10 million signing bonus paid in 2011 and another $4 million bonus paid just last year for salary cap relief.

The move will create $7.5 million ($7.25 million if the workout was earned) in cap space for Kansas City in 2014 and another $7.5 million in 2015. This is much needed room for the Chiefs who will likely need the space to extend QB Alex Smith and pass rusher Justin Houston, both in the final seasons of their contracts.

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