NFL Free Agency 2019: Analyzing the biggest contracts offered so far - Part 1
Free agency, one of the biggest attractions during the offseason, is now in full swing. A plethora of teams have dipped their hands into the pool of players available to snap up the proven ones and make a strong push for the Super Bowl next season.
Many players have signed lucrative contracts which will become official by 4 PM ET on Wednesday. Here is an analysis of some deals made by franchises during the NFL's tampering window which opened on Monday:
#1 Trent Brown to Oakland Raiders (4-year $66 million contract)
A lot of hard work and a little bit of luck can take you a long way in sports, just ask left tackle Trent Brown about it. About a year ago, placed on injured reserve, Brown was traded by his then team San Francisco 49ers to the New England Patriots along with the 145th pick for the 95th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Brown was expected to provide depth at the tackle position since the Patriots had drafted Georgia tackle Isiah Wynn with the 23rd overall pick the previous day. But as luck would have it, Wynn suffered a torn Achilles, 9 snaps into his preseason, providing Brown with the chance to occupy the role of starting left tackle.
Under the guidance of probably one of the best offensive line coaches in the league in Dante Scarnecchia, Brown flourished and played a key role in the Patriots' run to the Super Bowl. In the 1,089 offensive snaps he was a part of from the opening match to the end of the playoffs, Brown allowed just 3 sacks and 12 QB hits.
His new employers, the Oakland Raiders under the leadership of Jon Gruden had a very tough 2018 season as they finished with a disappointing 4-12 record. Their two starting tackles, Kolton Miller and Brandon Parker had been drafted in the recently concluded 2018 NFL Draft with the 15th and 65th overall picks. To the dismay of the front office, both delivered rather underwhelming rookie seasons with Kolton allowing 13 sacks and Parker allowing 8.5 sacks overall.
The performance by his rookie tackles forced Jon Gruden to sign Brown during free agency and it hasn't come cheap. Brown has been signed to a 4-year $66 million contract of which $36.5 million is guaranteed, making him the highest paid tackle in the league.
The signing while important does seem quite odd. Brown has played just 21 games as a left tackle and was only used by the Patriots because their first-round prospect Isiah Wynn suffered an injury. His progress under a below par offensive line coach would clearly be one to keep a tab on for next season.