Joe Flacco now the highest paid QB in NFL history

[Deus Irae]

I am not talking about career comparisons. I'm just saying where these guys rank right now.

All five QBs made the playoffs. All five have solid to very good teams and head coaches. Kaepernick went the furthest.

Answer this: would you trade Tom Brady even up (considering contract and age) for any one of Wilson, Luck, RG3 or Manning?

Brady and Rodgers are the two best quarterbacks in the NFL right now. The top 5 QBs in the NFL are:

Brady
Rodgers

Brees

Roethlisberger
P. Manning

with Manning in decline and possibly to fall out of the group this year. Luck might not even be in the top 15 right now, based off of last season. From 6-13, you can look at

Ryan
E. Manning
RG III
Romo
Rivers
Flacco
Stafford
Schaub

and, maybe, Wilson, in whatever order suits your fancy. After that, you've got Dalton, Luck, Cutler, Newton and others slotting out the next 5-7 spots.

And the fact that you're tossing in contract and age should tell you that your trade isn't based upon how good the players are. If age and contract weren't factors, Brady and Rodgers would be tradeable in an even swap only with each other.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

More power to him. It's a business. He played his cards well and maximized his earnings, arguably beyond the level of his abilities. But, congrats and respect to Flacco for pulling that off.

Now, let's be sure he's remembered as the "highest-paid QB" to win only one Super Bowl.

Also, let's be grateful that no one will ever be able to hold up Bob Kraft the way Joe just held up the Ravens.

 

[Sparetire]

Well, good for joe. it'll be halarious if he stinks.

 

[RIpats88]

oh well, let him be the highest paid QB in NFL history....it will certainly hinder the Ravens cap and they will have to let go of ALOT of quality players that helped them win their title...they wont be a great team next year.

you have to give Flacco credit for his play in the playoffs, BUT also you need to give credit to their Defense who played lights out and Jones/Boldin for making some Rediculous catches.

take away those receivers and that defense, can Flacco carry that team? I doubt it....but I dont care because I cant stand the Ravens

 

[tonyto3690]

I am not talking about career comparisons. I'm just saying where these guys rank right now.

All five QBs made the playoffs. All five have solid to very good teams and head coaches. Kaepernick went the furthest.

Answer this: would you trade Tom Brady even up (considering contract and age) for any one of Wilson, Luck, RG3 or Manning?

But that is not what we're debating or discussing at all.

Your point was that Wilson is as good as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.


And even if you back track and suggest your point was the value of contract earnings, you are still hilariously wrong. We're not discussing an entire career- last I checked Wilson's contract doesn't last until 2020. We're talking about the next four seasons.

Peyton and Brady can carry a mediocre team and make them Superbowl contenders.

Wilson is a solid game manager with potential who plays with a loaded offensive line, loaded rushing attack, and a loaded defense with the best homefield advantage in the NFL.

The merits of trading Brady for four seasons for Luck for fifteen has some legitimate merit. But what is being argued is Brady this upcoming season vs Luck this upcoming season, or even Brady the next four and Luck the next four. Given those it's not even remotely close. You go with the proven HOF QB.

EDIT:
The fact you think Flacco is within two tiers of Rodgers (let alone on par) says more than enough. You clearly have no idea what you're talking about.

 

[tonyto3690]

"No one is denying that the Ravens were the better team.

Flacco is a mental midget with a rocket arm. He closed his eyes and hurled it as far as he could on more than one occasion in the SB. It's the same thing Sanchez and the Jets tried to do last season except Sanchez's receievers aren't as talented and Joe has a bigger arm.

Just because a player wins a SB doesn't mean they should become the highest paid in the history of the NFL. He is NOT worth 20% of the Ravens cap, he is NOT able to carry 20% of the weight of the franchise. 20 mill per year is way too much for a one trick pony who played 3 good games on a loaded team."

Flacco was also a combination dropped/swatted pass from going to and possibly winning a SB last year. IMO The jury is still out on Flacco and whether or not he belongs in the "elite" status, but the Ravens had to give him a substantial contract. Personally, I think Flacco is a solid to good QB and the Ravens will be in contention for a few more years than you might think. They have a good management that maintained the core of their D for a long time and haven't been too shabby at drafting either. I like that they gave Flacco this deal because it only limits their ability to retain and possibly sign players in upcoming free-agency.

Flacco is not a good player. He is not an elite player. He is being hilariously overpaid and will usher in the end of the Ravens run at a title for a while.

Flacco had a good run, but people quickly forget he had Mark Sanchez calibre numbers this past season and has his entire career. Every lame duck can have a good game or two. Flacco hit the lottery and happened to have them in the playoffs.

Flacco is a marginally better Sanchez with a better supporting cast.

"Sorry, Jermichael Finley is not as good, or even better than Gronkowski just because he has a ring."

Great. Thanks for pointing that out for the rest of us.

I pointed it out because it's clear you have no concept of taking things in context and are pinning the Ravens SB entirely on Flacco who really didn't have that great a game if you look at the film and not just the box score.

Flacco is not an elite QB just because he won a ring. He's a mediocre QB because years of film say he is a mediocre QB and a mental midget.

 

[Rob0729]

So the 8th or 9th best QB in the league (and I might be generous there) is now the highest paid one. Makes sense.

 

[goheels22002]

Flacco is not a good player. He is not an elite player. He is being hilariously overpaid and will usher in the end of the Ravens run at a title for a while.

Flacco had a good run, but people quickly forget he had Mark Sanchez calibre numbers this past season and has his entire career. Every lame duck can have a good game or two. Flacco hit the lottery and happened to have them in the playoffs.

Flacco is a marginally better Sanchez with a better supporting cast.

I pointed it out because it's clear you have no concept of taking things in context and are pinning the Ravens SB entirely on Flacco who really didn't have that great a game if you look at the film and not just the box score.

Flacco is not an elite QB just because he won a ring. He's a mediocre QB because years of film say he is a mediocre QB and a mental midget.

Flacco is on top. It is what it is. He beat the Broncos, the Patriots and the 49ers in the playoffs. He beat the best.

Comparing him to Mark Sanchez who lost his job and missed the playoffs is absurd.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

...



No one is denying that the Ravens were the better team.

Flacco is a mental midget with a rocket arm. He closed his eyes and hurled it as far as he could on more than one occasion in the SB. It's the same thing Sanchez and the Jets tried to do last season except Sanchez's receievers aren't as talented and Joe has a bigger arm.

Just because a player wins a SB doesn't mean they should become the highest paid in the history of the NFL. He is NOT worth 20% of the Ravens cap, he is NOT able to carry 20% of the weight of the franchise. 20 mill per year is way too much for a one trick pony who played 3 good games on a loaded team.
...

A player is worth what he negotiates, just like a house is worth what someone will pay for it. Flacco is worth 20 million a year because he was able to hold up the Ravens to get that number.

Other players may well be and indeed in many cases are "worth" as much or more, but, for different reasons are not being paid as much. In Brady's case, he decided not to take what he was worth for a range of reasons. Others negotiated contracts before their true value was appreciated.

As to what percent of a team's salary any individual is actually "worth," you're pretty much into a theoretical area there because of the cap. Since around 35--40 players start any game on O, D and Special Teams, and since the game can't be played without any of them, you could argue that no player is worth more than two or three percent of the cap. But, that's of course nonsense since several skill positions are clearly more important to the team's success. How important, relatively speaking, is a franchise QB to the success of a team? Some would argue that a Brady or Rodgers is worth even more than 20% of the cap to their teams. So, I guess Flacco's worth is, theoretically, somewhere north of two or three percent and south of 20 percent. Go figure.

Comparing Flacco to Sanchez pretty much destroys your credibility. Take a deep breath, get over your disappointment and post when you can be more rational. I have the misfortune to live in Jets territory here in NYC and, believe me, there is no rational comparison.

No one who has never laced 'em up and stepped between the lines of an NFL game has any right to say that Flacco is a "one trick pony," who "closed his eyes and hurled it" in the Denver game or the SB. He threw some damn good passes under, especially in Denver, very adverse conditions. The fact that he has a couple of big wideouts who can "go up and get" it is to his advantage...not something we should be dissing. Saying anything else makes us sound like a Jets Board.

 

[fair catch fryar]

Flacco is on top. It is what it is. He beat the Broncos, the Patriots and the 49ers in the playoffs. He beat the best.

Comparing him to Mark Sanchez who lost his job and missed the playoffs is absurd.

Exactly. Apparently in his world it's okay to compare Flacco to Sanchez, but not to Brady.

 

[fair catch fryar]

I pointed it out because it's clear you have no concept of taking things in context and are pinning the Ravens SB entirely on Flacco who really didn't have that great a game if you look at the film and not just the box score.

Flacco is not an elite QB just because he won a ring. He's a mediocre QB because years of film say he is a mediocre QB and a mental midget.

From what I have seen from the majority of your posts on the topic, the only reason you pointed out the OBVIOUS is because your talking out of your ***** and your argument about Flacco being a "mental midget" among other names you have used is weak. Whether you like it or not Flacco now has a SB ring and an MVP to his resume and all well-earned and deserved on his part. I despise the Ravens, but they were the best team at the end of the year. End of story.

 

[Archeryaddict12]

Flacco now the highest-paid QB in NFL history, according to Schefter

Brady needs to be asked if he is elite, both the winning QB's over the last 2 years were asked this, were missing the boat fellas! Lol

*This post contains humor.

 

[Joker]

Re: Flacco now the highest-paid QB in NFL history, according to Schefter

Brady needs to be asked if he is elite, both the winning QB's over the last 2 years were asked this, were missing the boat fellas! Lol

*This post contains humor.

no...it doesn't

it reeks of snark though...

 

[juny]

Wow, being reported that 2013 hit is only 7M. Guess it is super back loaded

 

[RIpats88]

theres no doubt that flacco had a great post-season run.

but I think the question is, if you pay him all this money and take away alot of the talent around him, can he carry the team offensively?

Brady/Manning can...I dont think Flacco can

 

[Deus Irae]

Flacco is on top. It is what it is. He beat the Broncos, the Patriots and the 49ers in the playoffs. He beat the best.

Comparing him to Mark Sanchez who lost his job and missed the playoffs is absurd.

Your argument makes no sense.

Sanchez wasn't better than Brady in 2010, despite his Jets having beaten the Patriots, and he didn't suddenly deserve to be paid more than Brady because his team went farther in that season.

 

[supafly]

Just so it's clear.

-Saints fans hate Drew Brees now

Ravens are going to lose Ellerby, Williams, Reed, Boldin, Kruger, Leech because of this contract, and of course are losing Lewis. That's 3 starting linebackers, starting corner, their #1 receiver, and fullback for a run first team.

This deal is the exact kind of deal that stops an elongated run. These deals aren't given out by the Patriots and are exactly why the Patriots have stayed competitive while the Steelers, Jets, Cowboys, Raiders, Redskins etc. all might have had a nice run or two, but the price of overpaying all came back to bite them and killed their team.

What in God's green earth are you smoking, my friend?

Saints fans do not "hate" Drew Brees. I'd like to know why you think that?

And the Ravens aren't losing all of those players that you listed, most of all Anquan Boldin....on top of that I highly doubt that they don't re-sign ANY of their current FA's.

The Steelers had a bad year, but are always competitive and have a top tier front office. The Cowboys (as much as they make stupid moves) were playing for the divisional crown on the last game of the season the past 2 yrs, and the Redskins went to the playoffs despite having to deal with an 18 million dollar cap penalty last year.

 

[supafly]

Wow, being reported that 2013 hit is only 7M. Guess it is super back loaded

Actually, according to PFT the contract is set up in the same vein as all of the other significant ones like Ray Rice, Terelle Suggs, and Haloti Ngata which means that it is actually more frontloaded than backloaded.

Apparently they'd much prefer to pay out more guarantees in the first couple/few years and deal with managable cap hits in the last few. The yr one cap hit was obviously set up due to their limitations with the cap space this year, but a very good portion was paid.

Which once again, does not personally make me feel that the Ravens are setting themselves up for failure, but that's just my belief. If they lose a couple of players this year, so what? So will every team, us very much included.

Getting sixth year on Flacco deal was a win for Ravens | ProFootballTalk

 

[supafly]

theres no doubt that flacco had a great post-season run.

but I think the question is, if you pay him all this money and take away alot of the talent around him, can he carry the team offensively?

Brady/Manning can...I dont think Flacco can

Why does everyone here seem to think that the front office is taking away all of Flacco's talent?

They just re-signed their QB who is 5 for 5 in playoff appearances, their top tier RB Rice, and have Anquan Boldin and T.Smith (who's still under a rookie deal). Pitta and ****son are obviously a big piece of the puzzle moving forward, and so are guys like rookie RB/FB Bernard Pierce and maybe even Jacoby Jones. That isn't even taking into account the draft. So who exactly is Flacco losing on offense? Vontae Leach? (maybe) Really???

On defense they're getting back L.Webb (recently signed) as their #1 CB. Do you really think they honestly give that much of a damn about Carey Williams now? I surely wouldn't. I would certainly think they'll try to re-sign one of Ellerbe/Kruger, with Ellerbe being the odds on favorite. If they pass on Reed it would be considered "getting rid of him a year early rather than a year late" in New England, but it's different there? They have the right to pick the Elam's and Vaccaro's of the draft too, since everyone keeps mentioning them to us.

Every team loses some key players. Right now the Baltimore fans could just as easily say the same thing about us, as we are set to lose Welker, Arrington, Edelman, Woodhead, Talib, Vollmer, Thomas, etc, etc....however it doesn't mean we're going to lose them all. And hopefully it doesn't mean that we're going to be any less competitive.

I think there is a bit of truth into what everyone is saying, but it's also being terribly overblown too. All off-season we've heard about how Baltimore was going to be so pressured and how they'll be forced to cut Boldin/Suggs/Ngata etc....give me a break. They are losing a couple of key players the same exact way that we are, and that the other 30 teams are. There's also turnover in the NFL in the cap era. I just don't see how things are guaranteed to be significantly different for the Ravens.

 

[patfanken]

Well here's my 2 cents:

1. The current price of an "elite" QB is around $20MM/yr....and no one player is worth that much. I'm not saying that QB's aren't the single most important players on your roster and should be paid as such, but at $20MM/yr they are being paid at too high a percentage of the cap.

2. Its silly to quibble over whether Flacco deserved this much money. Watching him play, you can say he's good, but not great. Looking at his playoff record, you'd say he's worth every penny. People are NOT going to agree on this. Who cares. Here's what it means to me as a Pats fan.

3. The Ravens are going to have a top flight QB for the foreseeable future. Quibble about how good all you want, but there is no question that QB will be a plus position for them.

4. Like all highly paid QB's, his cap situation will very soon become a burden on the Ravens. It may end up being around $12MM this season, but that means that within 2 years it will start to exceed the $20MM/yr average and will only grow as time goes on as the team is forced to keep adjusting it to maintain some cap control.

5. The Pats QB situation will stay at a very stable $13-15MM/yr cap hit for the next 5 years, and until another top QB decides to actually take money OFF the table like Brady did with the last 3 years of his contract, no other team with an "elite" QB will be able to make the same claim....no matter what Mike Florio, Ron Borges, and their ilk want to say.