The Atlanta Falcons sure were intent on adding another receiving threat to go with Pro Bowler Julio Jones and up-and-coming youngster Justin Hardy.
That has reportedly come in the form of former Cincinnati Bengals pass catcher Mohamed Sanu, who has apparently agreed to a five-year, $32.5 million deal with the team:
For #Falcons WR Mohamed Sanu, it's a 5-year deal worth $32.5M, source said. $14M fully guaranteed.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 10, 2016
That’s a whole heck of a lot of cash to throw at a wide receiver that’s failed to put up as much as 800 receiving yards in any of his first four NFL seasons.
Sanu, 26, caught 33 passes for 394 yards without a touchdown in 16 games (four starts) this past season in Cincinnati.
His best performance came back in 2014 when the former third-round pick tallied 56 receptions for 790 yards and five touchdowns.
Sanu figures to compete with second-year player Justin Hardy for the starting job. Though, the $6.4 million he’s earning annually suggests he will have the upper-hand in any training camp competition.
People will criticize the Falcons for this move, and for good reason. They are paying for projection rather than production. That’s a dangerous precedent for a team to set in free agency.
Though, it must be noted that this year’s wide receiver class has been among the worst in the history of modern free agency.
With a ton of demand and very little supply, it’s not a surprise slightly above-average players are getting paid.