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NFL: How Much Are You Willing To Pay a Backup?
Published: July 3, 2009
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Matthew Stafford, who was the first overall pick by the Lions, has a contract worth 41.7 million guaranteed and it is six years for a possible $72 million. Mark Sanchez who was the fifth overall pick by the Jets, has a contract worth 28.5 million guaranteed and is five years with possible 44.5 million.
Now how would you feel about having them as a backup after seeing these salaries?
The situation that coaches would prefer is for their rookies to take a year or two to learn the offense rather then being thrown out there right away. There are many more players who have had success after waiting one or two seasons then players who were put out there right away. It can sometimes take time for a player to get adjusted to the NFL speed and sometimes they cannot do it on the field right away but instead need to learn it on the practice field first.
David Carr was the first overall pick of the Texans and was basically thrown to the wolves. He has not had any real success in his career so far. Peyton Manning on the other hand has started every game since coming into the league, but he had a horrible rookie year going 3-13.
When looking around the NFL today you do not see many QB’s who have started right away because the coaches know that they will be better equipped if they wait a year or two. However, how can you justify this when you are paying a player the amount that Stafford and Sanchez are making?
Both of the QB’s will most likely be starting sometime during this upcoming season, mainly because of how much they are making. Yes, these are two very skilled QB’s but the pressure that will be put on them might be too much at first for them.
I believe that it will ultimately hurt them starting this early. Matthew Stafford has no line and will most likely be on his back most of the season just like how Carr was for the Texans. The question is: Will Stafford be mentally tough enough to overcome that stigma, seeing that Carr was not.
If there were a rookie wage scale I do not think either one of them would be starting. I think that because of the money invested in both these players there is a sense of urgency to get them on the field to see what they have. No coach or GM in the league wants to see their backup QB making $72 million or $44.5 Million.
