There was a time not so long ago when winning mattered to athletes just as much if not more than getting paid, ask Tom Brady. But times change, and so do priorities, I guess. I’m not naive when it comes to how sports work as a business; I know that if you want to keep a top player happy, you have to pay them. But what bothers me is when a player signs a contract, agreeing to terms for a period of time for a specific value, and then a couple years down the line, still under the contract they agreed to, that same player demands a new deal based on the contract value of another player.

Yes, I know contract extensions happen all the time too, and from a front office perspective, it’s smart, because you want to lock up your player on your terms before they hit the open market and other teams set the market for you. I understand, from a birds-eye perspective how it goes, but the thing that drives me crazy is the way it seems to be happening more and more, particularly in the NFL.

The troubling trend that I’ve seen for a while when it comes to player contracts (I first took notice in 2018) is that they often don’t have much to do with actual player performance. While this post isn’t about any particular player, I will use a few as examples. These days it seems like there’s a new highest paid player in NFL history every day. This offseason has already proved that many times over.

As I said, the main problem with this is that these contracts have become fashion statements in the league: make your guy the highest paid player in NFL history, or he’ll walk. As I mentioned, it’s less to do with executive’s saying, “you’ve earned the pay day, now here’s your money” and more to do with a player saying “someone else just got a bag, so I want mine. In some cases, these massive contracts are being given out by GMs in a preemptive effort to save their own jobs. Jacksonville Jaguars GM Trent Baalke had fans calling for his job not that long ago, so making Trevor Lawrence the highest paid QB (for the moment) equals job security. New York Giants GM Joe Schoen committed $160 million to Daniel Jones – a move that will make or break him, and I’m leaning heavily on the latter. Tua Tagovailoa has had a rollercoaster start to his career with the Miami Dolphins, with some wondering if he should play football again following 2022’s major concussion issues. Many believed that GM Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel woefully mishandled the situation, so Grier made the payday, doubling down on Tua as the future in South Beach.

I don’t have a problem with star players getting paid per se, but it’s often the manner in which they do. My issue boils down to what we’ve been seeing a lot of this offseason: the holdout. When I player, still under contract holds out of training camp and demands a new contract. As I mentioned, player extensions can be a smart thing, but those should come at the discretion of the front office that’s employing said player. For instance, Ceedee Lamb, Ja’Marr Chase and Brandon Aiyuk are all currently holding out of training camp and preseason action in search of new deals because they want to keep up with Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson, who mutual negotiated a 4-year, $140 million extension with the team this offseason. Maybe Lamb, Chase and Aiyuk will get their deals, and maybe they’ve already proven themselves to be among the best wide outs in the league, but, as I mentioned before, when you sign a contract, you are agreeing to those terms for that length of time, and that includes any performance-based incentives within the contract at the time of the signing. Maybe it’s silly, but I don’t think a player (especially one who’s still on a rookie contract – all three hold outs are), has a right to demand a new contract while under contract. Their current compensation has already been agreed upon, and once they fulfill that agreement, they can negotiate a new one based on what they have accomplished.

Like I mentioned at the top, this trend first caught my attention back in 2018. On March 15, 2018, the Minnesota Vikings signed QB Kirk Cousins to a 3-year, $84 million contract. The contract was the first fully guaranteed contract and was, at the time, the highest in NFL history. Five months later, Aaron Rodgers eclipsed him, but it got me thinking: of the top 10 highest-paid players in 2018, only Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees had started, and won a Super Bowl, both of which have been widely criticized in their careers for falling to win a second ring. Outside of those two, only Matt Ryan, Andrew Luck and Alex Smith had registered playoff wins prior to 2018. Yes, Matt Ryan made it to a Super Bowl, but that was mostly credited to offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, and by the following season, Luck had retired, and Smith had been replaced by Patrick Mahomes. All that time, Tom Brady, who finished with 7 Super Bowl rings, was among the lowest paid starting QBs in the league.

Fast forward to 2024, and the story is surprisingly similar. Of the top 10 highest-paid players, only Joe Burrow, Jared Goff and Jalen Hurts have seen the field in the Super Bowl. The other seven only have a combined 5 postseason wins between them. Not to mention, the Green Bay Packers made Jordan Love the highest-paid player in NFL history (for now) after just one season as a starter. By the way, Patrick Mahomes – a man with 3 Super Bowls, 3 Super Bowl MVPs, 2 NFL MVPs and 6 Pro Bowl appearances all before the age of 30 – is only the 11th highest-paid player in the NFL. First, Tom Brady, then Patrick Mahomes; it’s almost like having the highest salary doesn’t equate to winning Super Bowls. Who knew?

Those last two notes are proof positive that these massive contracts are no longer about rewarding performance. Being the highest-paid player in league history, or highest-paid at a position has become nothing more than a fashion statement, a gimmick for executives have proven they’ve found their guy, or a leverage tool for disgruntled players under contracts to hold over their owner’s/GM’s head.

You may disagree with this take, but I’m just tired of all the contract drama where there doesn’t need to be any. Contracts are signed and should be honored. Period. Back to Aiyuk, Lamb and Chase one more time – all three are star receivers on Super Bowl contending teams. Don’t say you care about winning, and then hold out for new contracts or trades; you don’t care about winning, you care about you – and a trade most likely won’t land you in a better situation than the one you’re in. Choose wisely. It’s been like this in professional sports for a long time, and this post certainly won’t move a needle in any way, but that’s my two cents, do with it what you will. See you on the next one!