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NFL teams tend to live and die by their quarterback, so it makes sense that players at that position tend to earn more money than anyone else in the league. However, it sounds like some owners are exploring the possibility of instituting a new type of salary cap as contracts continue to rise.
As things currently stand, Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow are the highest-paid quarterbacks (and, in turn, the highest-paid players) in the NFL, as each man is now making $55 million a year after the former inked a five-year deal worth $275 million with the Jaguars earlier this month.
To put things in perspective, Aaron Rodgers held that title a decade ago when he was making a comparatively paltry $25 million per season.
While inflation does have to be taken into consideration, recent data concerning the amount of money NFL teams are forking over to QBs suggests they’re willing to devote a higher percentage of their overall salary cap (which is set at $255.4 million for the 2024 season) to guys who are the most valuable player on the roster more often than not.
QB Average Salary vs. League Salary Cap at Signing
1. J. Burrow, 24.4%
2. J. Allen, 23.5%
3. J. Herbert, 23.3%
4. L. Jackson, 23.1%
5. P. Mahomes, 22.7%
6. J. Hurts, 22.6%
7. K. Murray, 22.1%
8. D. Watson, 22%
9. D. Prescott, 21.9%
10. J. Goff, 20.7%— Spotrac (@spotrac) May 15, 2024
Again, it’s easy to understand why this is the case, but when you consider it feels like the quarterback market is being reset a few times a year based on the ever-escalating nature of the contracts the biggest names in the league are signing, you have to wonder if there’s a point where things start to get out of control (if that’s not the case already).
Earlier this week, NFL insider Tom Pelissero appeared on The Rich Eisen Show and said that trend has recently become a topic of discussion among some owners who have started to toy with the possibility of instituting a new rule that would limit QB contracts in relation to the salary cap.
He noted that dialogue is still in the early stages, saying:
“There’s certainly been a discussion within the league among certain owners about the idea of a quarterback cap; that at some point, you want quarterback numbers to not go over a certain percentage of your salary cap.
To my knowledge, that really hasn’t gained traction in part because so many teams have paid their quarterbacks, and if you went suddenly to an NBA model where all of a sudden you have the max and the supermax, it kind of changes the dynamics in terms of how you set yourself up for salary cap-wise.”
You have to imagine the agents representing NFL QBs would be very vocal in their opposition to that proposal, and a push to follow in the footsteps of the NBA would undoubtedly end up sparking a debate between the league and the NFLPA.
I can’t say I hate the idea in theory, but there are certainly plenty of hurdles that need to be overcome before it becomes a reality.