When it comes to today’s NFL, the QB market, it is rapidly changing. In 2020, Patrick Mahomes signed a then massive 10 year, $450,000,000 contract, putting him at a clip of around $45,000,000 per year. With a recent restructure, Mahomes’ deal is even more of a bargain. After Friday’s moves, Mahomes is only the 11th highest avrage salary for a QB.

 

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa, who had been holding out for a new contract, was rewarded with a brand new 4 year, $212,500,000 contract. This is a move that felt inevitable, yet also feels like a massive overpay. Tagovailoa still has yet to win a playoff game as a starter, and was flat out embarrassing the final month of the season, accruing a total EPA of -0.32 over the final three games, including a -0.28 performance in the Wild Card round against Kansas City. Tagavailoa will have to improve in the latter part of season to warrant the deal. In December and January, Tua has a record of 3-8 the past two seasons.

A few hours after Tagavailoa’s contract, Packers QB Jordan Love became the highest paid QB in NFL history with a 4 year, $220,000,000 contract. The Packers assumedly were using Miami’s signal caller as a gauge for Love and the contract he was pursuing. While only having one year as a starter, Love enjoyed more playoff success in year one than Tagavailoa has. Love also spent three years on the bench behind Aaron Rodgers and was nearing the end of his rookie contract.

With Love taking the top spot in terms of QB salaries and Tua slotting in at the fourth spot, the rest of the top five is occupied by Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence behind Love, with Jared Goff just behind Tagovailoa. It is interesting that arguably the three best NFL gunslingers in Mahomes, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson are not in the top six. It seems that more QBs and teams are catching onto the Tom Brady method. That is, taking more team friendly, but still lucrative contracts in favor of saving money for the team to acquire and retain more talent.