Wow! We mean just wow! That has put a cat amongst the pigeons! So the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals have tied their star wide receiver, Larry Fitzgerald, to an eight year $120m deal. Yep that is quarterback money for a wide receiver!
With Fitzgerald guaranteed to make $15.15m a year for the first three seasons, the rest of the top wide receivers in the National Football League will be looking at their contract negotiations and using Fitzgerald’s numbers to use as a battering ram on their general managers and owners.
As a comparison, Andre Johnson, the Houston Texans wide receiver had recently secured annow seemingly paltry $8,1m a year deal.
And wouldn’t you just know it over in Tennessee, Chris “CJ2K” Jackson, the Titans running back has already been holding out for an increased pay deal during pre-season whilst asking to be paid as one of the top players in the league, not just running backs. We’re sure the Titans hierarchy are wincing at this new deal.
Expect Vincent Jackson (San Diego Chargers) to be knocking on his GM’s door pretty soon looking for a contract as his ‘franchise’ tag affords him to be paid in line with the average of the top 5 players in his position.
We can’t help thinking surely NFL owners would be in a stronger position and able to sign players to lesser contracts if all deals weren’t in the public domain. But then, that wouldn’t be as much fun now would it!
By Conan Jal
Twitter.com/conanjal
