Why Is There No Nuance With QB Salaries?

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It seems like a foregone conclusion that if your quarterback is due for an extension he’ll be getting top dollar and become the highest-paid quarterback of all-time.  Then the next guy due for a contract will do the same thing and he’ll be the highest-paid.  And so on, and so forth.  Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love is the latest to benefit.  Despite only having one starting season under his belt, Love received the richest contract for a quarterback.  Before him, it was Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, etc.

Regardless of personal or team success, the quarterback position seems to be completely free of any sort of nuance when it comes to paying for it. Everyone must get top dollar!  Trevor Lawrence hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire but the Jaguars felt they needed to pay him over $275 million dollars with $200 million of it fully guaranteed. Tua Tagovailoa got a 4-year, $212 million dollar extension despite not having the postseason success and still having question marks around his long-term durability.  The aforementioned Love got one season under his belt, yet is the latest QB to be set for life financially.  A solid season? Sure.  But enough evidence to make him worthy of the current biggest contract in NFL history?  I’m not so sure.

All of this boils down to the fact that NFL teams have got to capitalize when their team has a quarterback on rookie contract.  It’s more important than ever.  The Colts face that exact situation with Anthony Richardson.  They’ve got a four-year window to see what they’ve got in him.  Technically, it’s three because teams need to make a determination on a first round pick’s fifth-year option heading into Year 4.  We’ve already seen one season go down the tubes as far as any confidence in what exactly they have in him.

Chris Ballard, despite the rookie quarterback contract, has a been a bit more cautious when it comes to throwing money at free agents.  The Colts are relying on their in-house guys to improve and help make Richardson flourish in a full season of work.  The clock is ticking.  Not only on needing to see a proven track record for Richardson but on those dollar signs going up and up and up when it comes to paying the quarterback position.

Nobody should want to see the Colts pay Richardson because they HAVE to but because he’s earned it.  Too many times we’ve seen franchises handcuff themselves to mediocre quarterbacks for years because they don’t want to start over or don’t want to do the work to find the solution.  Kirk Cousins in Minnesota is a great example of that.  Always put up stats but never a guy you truly felt was a “win because of” guy.

I don’t think Richardson will be that but it’s time to see what he can do.  Year 2 is crucial for he and the Colts and any setback or indecision heading into the next off-season will only ratchet up the pressure in a make-or-break Year 3.

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