A lot is talked about NFL free agency. Who, how much and for how long?
In the end, only a few players got truly generational changing money.
- A player that is already generationally rick -Kirk Cousins got four years at $180 million to leave the Vikings for the Falcons.
- Baker Mayfield received $100 million to stay with the Bucs.
- Gardner Minshew received $25 million to compete for the Las Vegas Raiders starting job.
I am truly happy for the players. The billionaires who own NFL franchises paid players hoping for perhaps their “only chance” to get theirs a life changing contract.
For every FA like KC defensive lineman who received $158.75 for five years to remain with Kansas City, many players compete for franchise dollars at a much less rate.
That is where the Detroit Lions played the game. There was no way they were going to match OL Jonah Jackson’s 3-year- 51 million dollar deal he was paid to move onto the Rams.
The Lions need to pay several players they drafted or are up for renewal. Jared Goff, Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown are among the first wave of players about to receive that generational money.
The Lions are Walmart shoppers in the free agent shopping pool
- They resigned Graham Glasgow at money totaling about seven money per year.
- Resigned injured CB Emmanuel Moseby for one year at $1.125 million.
After the (Cleveland QB) DeShawn Watson and (Denver Broncos) Russell Watson debacles where teams set their franchises back several years by overpaying for quarterbacks and doubled down by giving away high NFL draft choices.
Lions GM was cryptic when talking about shopping in the NFL free agency class:
“We trust our own. We know who they are.”
It doesn’t sound like the Lions will be using the Ford family credit card anytime soon. The fans are bummed but the players who got the Lions to the 2024 Championship game are happy. It was a lovable team and they are about to get paid.
Roy Akers