One thing I have noticed during this season’s NFL playoffs is that the highest paid quarterbacks are no longer playing football.
When the field was set, half of the league’s top 10 highest-paid quarterbacks did not make the playoffs. Dak Prescott, Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Jared Goff, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson did not see playoff action. Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence, Jordan Love, Brock Purdy and Justin Herbert all made early exits.
While this was happening, I kept getting a lingering thought. Are teams harming their playoff chances in a salary-capped league by paying premiums for quarterbacks? Is it too difficult in the modern NFL to build a competitive roster around a quarterback playing on a premium salary?
Drake Maye
Quarterback is the most important position in football, if not in all of sports. It’s difficult to win a Super Bowl without a high-end signal-caller. But it has happened. Super Bowls have been won with Nick Foles, Jeff Hostetler, Jim Plunkett, Brad Johnson and Trent Dilfer.
But having a Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Peyton Manning or Joe Montana is historically the best ingredient for success. But they cost money.
This year, we have Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks and Drake Maye of the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. Darnold has the 16th highest QB salary at 33.5 million. Maye is on his rookie deal of just under $5 million.
I find it notable that five of the 12 playoff quarterbacks are playing on rookie contracts, which are capped by the collective bargaining agreement. That cost control is extremely valuable, and optimizing roster construction around rookie quarterback contracts is a proven formula for success.
Since the rookie wage scale started in 2011, the Seahawks with Russell Wilson (2014) and the Kansas City Chiefs with Mahomes (2019) have navigated the rookie wage scale to Super Bowl victories.
This is an optimal way to build a Super contender in the short window available to pay quarterbacks on a rookie contract. Of course, this requires hitting successfully on a QB in the draft who can lead a team to contention at a young age.
New England hit on Maye and we will see if he takes the Pats to a Super Bowl win. I will preview the game next week.
