Wide receivers find weak market
Terrelle Pryor was said to be looking at $10-plus million annually on a long-term deal. Instead of taking advantage of last season’s breakout performance, he was met with a lukewarm market. Pryor ended up settling for a one-year deal with the Washington Redskins worth a base salary of $6 million.
It’s pretty much the same annual salary that Brandon Marshall received from the New York Giants. Marshall is five years older and finds himself on the back end of his career. On the other hand, Pryor put up a stunningly good 1,000-yard performance for the hapless Cleveland Browns. So why the small market?
We’d have to also look at Alshon Jeffery’s contract with the Philadelphia Eagles to draw a somewhat competent conclusion. Jeffery’s deal was originally reported to be $14 million for one season. As we noted earlier in the week, it’s all about the details. The former Pro Bowler actually received less than $10 million in guaranteed cash with about $5 million coming in incentives.
Alshon Jeffery Eagles deal: $9.5M, $1M base (gtd), $7.75M signing bonus, $750K workout b onus, $4.5M incentive (Pro Bowl, yards, TDs, etc
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 10, 2017
There’s a couple train of thoughts here. Both Pryor and Jeffery are attempting to prove themselves on a new team in order to hit a friendlier market next March. Pryor has one year of sustained success as a receiver. Meanwhile, Jeffery himself was suspended four games for PED use last season. There’s definitely more to their stories than an unfriendly overall market.
However, the 2017 NFL Draft class is said to be absolutely stacked at wide receiver. Mike Williams, Corey Davis and John Ross are all nearly guaranteed to be first-round picks. After that, the class itself seems to be pretty deep. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Cooper Kupp, Curtis Samuel and Dede Westbrook could all likely be had on Day 2.
Why pay a high price for veterans when you can go the cheap route with younger alternatives? It’s the same issue facing running backs on the free agent market this season.
There are surely exceptions to the rule here. Pierre Garcon received an absurd five-year, $42.5 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers. Though, the details suggest this is more of a three-year contract. The same can pretty much be said for Kenny Britt in Cleveland and Robert Woods of the Los Angeles Rams.