I'll leave it to those who understand capology much better than I do to discuss those topics and will accept the opinion of whoever seems most well informed, until Miguel says otherwise.
But, putting that aside, just for a moment, if Peyton ends up with a deal that's worth around $20 per year, as Ian's article suggests, and if Eli-of-the-magic-helmet is getting around $15, if Carson Palmer is playing out a nine year deal worth around $13 a year and if various others are making silly money considering what they've done, how much is Tom Brady worth?
Let's be hardnosed and acknowledge that he'll be 33 when this season starts, that he's had a major injury and taken a lot of hits, but also let's put aside the sentimentality that says he should "take one for the team" to the tune of tens of millions of dollars.
Personally, I think he's worth every dime that a 34 year old Manning is worth, despite Manning's superior stats over his career.
But, the Pats just don't pay top dollar for skill positions, so, what's the right number? Capology aside, a 10% discount off of Manning would put him at $18. That takes $10 million out of his pocket over five years, but still puts him well above Eli and probably around where Brees will end up. It likely means he isn't the highest paid, but among the top three. In exchange for that, of course, he can reasonably expect that the Pats will surround him with the weapons he needs to win again "now," i.e., in the next two or three years.
What do you think?