The AFC East: Financially

Michael GinnittiSeptember 07, 2012

Our premium team breaks down the AFC East Starting Lineups financially by position, showing just how the Bills, Dolphins, Jets, and Patriots are currently choosing to spend their money heading into the 2012 season.

Keep the conversation rolling by adding your thoughts and division predictions at the bottom of the report.

The NFC East : Financially

Michael GinnittiSeptember 05, 2012

Our premium team breaks down the NFC East Starting Lineups financially by position, showing just how the Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, and Redskins are currently choosing to spend their money heading into the 2012 season.

Keep the conversation rolling by adding your thoughts and division predictions at the bottom of the report.

Top Paid NFL Running Back Combos

Michael GinnittiAugust 22, 2012

Recently the insiders at the mothership (ESPN) broke down their take at the most productive running back team combinations heading into the 2012 season. This sparked our premium team to take a similar look at these players - only contractually.

Take a look at the list of top paid running back combinations, and how long their contracts currently keep them in tact:

A Tale of Two Gaps

Michael GinnittiAugust 02, 2012

With the new NFL CBA and rookie wage scale and the already established NBA rookie wage scale, we wanted to take a look at the difference between the two leagues in how they are compensating their incoming players via the draft, but also how compensation compares for the veteran superstars of each league as well.

We used the average annual value (AAV) for 2012 rookies and 2012 top veterans between the NBA and NFL for an accurate and consistent comparison.

Some interesting results were found with the NFL rookie scale compared to the NBA rookie scale.

Login in to read the full details and results.

Contract Prediction: Mike Wallace

Michael GinnittiJuly 28, 2012

With training camps now underway, one notable holdout is Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace. The writing has been on the wall since the Steelers offered Wallace only his 1 year $2.72 million restricted tender this March, and now neither side seem to be giving in at any cost. 

Now the plot has thickened even more so with the shocking extension of fellow receiver Antonio Brown to a 5 year $42 million deal,clearly sending a message that the team can and will move on in the immediate future. Mark Kaboly from the Pittsburgh Tribune recently reporting that Wallace turned down a 5 year $50 million offer from the Steelers, sending any progress in negotiations back to square one.

Our experts take a look at the recent contracts signed by players of similar age and statistical production, formulating an official prediction for where the two sides could, and should agree on. 

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Breaking down the Ryan Fitzpatrick Contract

Michael GinnittiJuly 27, 2012

The Buffalo Bills surprised many this 2012 offseason buy bringing in lucrative free agents such as Mario Williams and Mark Anderson and re-signing core weapons, Stevie Johnson, Fred Jackson, and Scott Chandler. These signings not only sent a message, but they were preceded by a mid-2011 season extension of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

At the time of his signing the 7 year $62 million contract, Fitzpatrick was playing the most efficient and successful football of his career. But a serious rib injury the following week against the Redskins put a damper on his, and the Bills 2011 production and playoff hopes, spurring raised eyebrows and questions surrounding just how sensible 6 more years and a $72 million pay day was.


Let’s take a look at the breakdown of the latest Fitzpatrick contract to evaluate the pros and cons for both sides. 

  • The 7 year contract length is tied for the longest active quarterback contract with Eli Manning and Phillip Rivers. (CON)
  • The $62+ million value of the deal is the 15th highest active quarterback contract. (PRO)
  • His $8.88 million average salary ranks 19th highest among active quarterbacks. (PRO)
  • His 2012 cap hit of $6 million ranks 19th among active quarterbacks (PRO)
  • His 2013 cap hit of $10.45 million ranks 14th among active quarterbacks (PRO)
  • No other active quarterback is signed through 2017 (CON)

As you can see by viewing the full contract, the cap hits range from 5.6, 6, 10.45, 10.55, 10.4, 9.9, 9.6. The signing bonus of $10 million is spread across 2011-2015 at $2 million each per cap hit. In simpler terms, this means that the Bills will have no financial requirement to Fitzpatrick should they choose to release him after the 2015 season, making this deal more realistically, a 4 year contract.

The contract is win win for both parties, as it was signed at a time that stamped Ryan as the leader of the franchise, without having to pay him “elite” dollars. His rankings of 15-19th in the quarterback categories mentioned above are about right, if not low, based on his statistical production. But bringing him under contract when they did has established a consistent core, and surely aided in the re-signing of Jackson and Johnson to complement the offense going forward. 

The Bills will be primed to make their first postseason run in over a decade in 2012+, and they can rest assured knowing their quarterback’s contract won’t be holding them back in any manner.

 

Contract Prediction: Joe Flacco

Michael GinnittiJuly 19, 2012

With the recent long-term signing of running back Ray Rice, the next logical order of business should be to lock up their franchise quarterback Joe Flacco to an extension.

 

Flacco enters the final year of his rookie contract at 2012, set to count $8.86 million against the cap ($6.76 in base salary). The analysis of Joe Flacco is, for lack of a better term, awkward. Fantasy football owners know that a quarterback like Flacco is at times frustrating, as the stats never seem to match the gameplay or the wins. The bottom line though is that Flacco has won, and he's won all but the big game with this organization. Many may argue that an explosive running game and a veteran defense are stronger benefactors to the Raven's success, but it doesn't take long in any scenario to realize that a team without a certain type of quarterback goes nowhere on a consistent basis. We use terms like efficient, solid, and steady when characterizing a player like this, and quite frankly those are terms that may work against him in the negotiation of this deal. But while the numbers you'll see below aren't flashy, they are strong. And in comparing his seasons to other 2nd-tier quarterbacks he fits the bill for a leader, and a winner who deserves to be paid. 

 

Spotrac breaks down the statistics, and compiles a prediction for the long-term extension soon to come.

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The Contract Welker Should Have Signed

Michael GinnittiJuly 17, 2012

While many franchise-tagged players were able to garner long-term contracts out of their respective teams, Wes Welker was unable to do so. In fact, rumors were swirling that discussions barely existed surrounding the opportunity to extend Welker's stay in New England. The Patriots have notoriously let confrontational situations fall by the wayside, and in doing so have made mistakes. But another AFC Championship in 2011 means giving them the benefit of the doubt, even in terms of Welker. The Patriots are simply using the tools that the CBA has allotted them, including the option for a franchise tag. That being said, it only seems fair to assess the current state of Welker, and provide a formulaic prediction for the long-term contract he should have signed this offseason. 

To analyze Welker, we'll compare statistics over his career as a wide receiver (2007-2011) against other receivers of comparable age and quality. We'll start by listing these receivers, their most recently signed contract, and the age they were when signing.

To view the full breakdown and official contract prediction login below. 

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Contract Evaluation: Matt Forte

Michael GinnittiJuly 16, 2012

The Chicago Bears and Matt Forte reached an agreement on a long-term deal just hours leading up to the deadline for franchise-tagged players to do so, coming to terms on a 4 year $32 million extension. The deal replaces a $7.74 million tender previously offered to the star running back. 

Spotrac recently published an analytical prediction for the prospective deal, resulting in a 4 year $31 million estimate that was reduced to 4 years, $26 million due to injury risks, and the recent signing of Michael Bush. 

Read on to see why mathematically this is deal works for both parties, but still leaves itself to a risk for the Bears.  

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The Linsane Value of NBA Point Guards

Michael GinnittiJuly 16, 2012

One of the most daunting tasks for NBA executives over the past few years is the collective balance of positioning a talented point guard who can distribute, shoot, play defense, and whom possesses the athletic ability to take over a game - while keeping the rest of the elite players on the court satisfied. As the 2012 free agency season begins to settle in, the usual spatter of mid-level talent has been distributed throughout the league. But available point guards have not only become coveted, but handled almost in privacy when it comes to signings, rumors, etc.

Read on to see the importance of point guards translated into numbers, and why the breakdown of the Jeremy Lin offer seems just about right... 

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