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The 2023 Free Agency season officially kicked off March 15 for the National Football League (NFL) and it has been crazy to say the least. With fresh faces in new places and new contracts being signed, some quarterbacks are earning a little more than they should, raising the concern of the quarterback market being in trouble.
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones signed a four-year $160 million contract extension, which includes $82 million fully guaranteed, according to CBS; he has an annual salary of $40 million dollars making him the seventh highest paid quarterback.
No offense to any Giants fans, but Jones is not worth $40 million. Let us not forget the time when he ran for 80-yards and tripped just before reaching the endzone in 2020. Yes, during the 2022 season, he led the Giants to its first playoff berth since 2016; but barely.
The Giants won the Wild Card round matchup against the Minnesota Vikings 31-24 but lost in the Divisional round to the Philadelphia Eagles 38-7.
In the game against the Eagles, Jones had 15 completions for 135 yards, zero touchdowns, one interception and was sacked five times.
Jones finished the 2022-2023 NFL season with 3,205 yards (15th), 15 touchdowns (tied for 21st), five interceptions (third) and a quarterback rating of 60.8 (sixth). Jones led the Giants to 2-0 in the beginning of the season until New York lost to Cooper Rush and the Dallas Cowboys in the third game.
After that, the Giants had a winning streak, but then began losing games. The Giants finished 9-7-1 and third in the National Football Conference (NFC) East. You have to remember, Jones did not do it alone; he has players such as running back Saquon Barkley, who finished fourth in rushing yards (1,312). According to CBS, when Barkley plays, Jones has 44 passing touchdowns and 17 interceptions; when he is not playing Jones has 16 passing touchdowns and 17 interceptions. A real testament to Jones’ production
There are many other quarterbacks in the NFL that deserve that amount because of how well they have played throughout their careers. One quarterback who is worthy is Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Allen had his contract restructured due to the team being over its salary cap. According to Buffalo News, Allen’s new contract will have a base salary of $23.5 million for the 2024 season. Allen finished the 2022 season with 4,283 yards (seventh), 35 touchdowns (tied for second), 14 interceptions (tied for 30th) and a quarterback rating of 71.4 (second). Before you say anything, I realize Allen had more interceptions than Jones, but Allen has improved since his first season with the Bills; leading them to the playoffs in his second season.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been looking for a new contract since 2020, but he and the Baltimore Ravens have not been able to reach an agreement.
On March 2, Jackson took Twitter to say he has requested a trade from the Ravens. The Ravens placed a non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson after the front office was unable to reach a long-term deal. Jackson’s season in 2022 was cut short due to a knee injury he faced in week 13; with a Most Valuable Player Award and some stellar seasons Jackson is worthy of a $40 million contract.
A letter to my Fans
I want to first thank you all for all of the love and support you consistently show towards me. All of you are amazing and I appreciate y’all so much. I want you all to know not to believe everything you read about me. Let me personally answer your questions
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) March 27, 2023
Allen and Jackson are only to name a few quarterbacks worthy of the contract Jones has. Free agency has just begun so we will have to wait and see if other quarterbacks receive the contracts they deserve.
Katrina Villarreal is the multimedia editor and may be reached at [email protected]
