“Not Russell Wilson and the quarterbacks” - NFL analyst gives unconventional choice for biggest offseason storyline
In this off-season, there have been many headlines, and it's easily been one of the craziest off-seasons in NFL history.
From quarterbacks being traded, players signing record-breaking deals, to the wide receiver market exploding and Tom Brady retiring and un-retiring, it has been a memorable NFL off-season, to say the least.
These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG https://t.co/U0yhRKVKVm
With all the crazy headlines in the NFL this off-season, Andrew Brandt talked with Rich Eisen on "The Rich Eisen Show" about what he thinks was the biggest headline this off-season.
Brandt said:
“But the fact is, the biggest story of this offseason, to me, is not Russell Wilson and the quarterbacks. It is the transformation of the wide receiver market, absolute transformation, where the top market was 18 to 20 million a year. Now it's 23 to 25 [a] year for DaVante, for Tyreek Hill, for AJ Brown, all these receivers, changing the marketplace.
"You go back to Cup, who is just way under that number. So here's another issue for the Rams to have to deal with. And this is not just because they're Super Bowl champions that that hangover is always there. But they've got to address Kupp, if [they] make a [big] deal of it, great. But even if they don't, [they] can't have a guy making 10 million under market [compared] to players like Hill and Adams and Brown. So they've got to get that done.”
Christian Kirk reset the wide receiver market in the NFL when he signed a 4-year deal worth up to $84 million with the Jaguars this off-season
Brandt isn't wrong. One of the biggest off-season stories this NFL off-season was the wide receiver market being reset.
It all started when the Jacksonville Jaguars overpaid Christian Kirk. The Jaguars signed Kirk to a four-year deal worth up to $84 million. In four seaons in the league, Kirk has never had a 1,000+ yard season and never eclipsed 10 receiving touchdowns.
Jaguars to sign WR Christian Kirk to four-year, $72M deal with max value of $84M. (via @RapSheet, @TomPelissero) https://t.co/IuO9sfYDb8
This made receivers like Tyreek Hill, DaVante Adams, AJ Brown, Deebo Samuel, and more demand more money, and some of them got that.
Tyreek Hill became the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL when the Dolphins signed him to a four-year $120 million deal.
Brown got traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he inked a four-year, $100 million deal.
Adams signed a five-year, $141 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders when he got traded from Green Bay. It will be interesting to see the deals some receivers get next season.