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At the heart of all great teams in the NFL is the quarterback, the beating heart of the offense; the guy that makes things tick. If the QB has a great day, more often than not the team does, too, and vice-versa. It's a tough job that is richly rewarded when it comes to contract negotiation time, and there are a host of NFL QBs on huge pay.
In this article, we take a look at the top5 highest-earning QBs in the NFL in 2020/21 and analyze their performances during the campaign to see who did and did not provide value for money.
Let's snap the ball already:
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#1 Patrick Mahomes - Kansas City Chiefs ($45 million per year)
Kansas City Chiefs QB, Patrick Mahomes is the NFL's highest-paid player. The record-breaking quarterback receives a princely $45 million per year.
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The reigning Super Bowl MVP finished up the regular season boasting 4740-yards through the air, and 38 touchdown passes to just 6 interceptions. His Chiefs team finished top of the AFC and are the number one seed heading into the second round of playoffs this week.
So, just how good was Mahomes in 2020? Well, in November, he threw for an average of 399.5-yards per game, which is the highest per-game average for any quarterback in any month since NFL records began. With statistics like this behind him, Mahomes looks set to lift the MVP award when it's announced later this month (sorry Packers fans) and has to be considered a great value for money, even on $45 million a year.
#2. Deshaun Watson - Houston Texans ($39 million per year)
The newest member of the "big leagues" in terms of his massive $39 million per year contract with the Houston Texans, Deshaun Watson endured a mixed bag of a year in 2020.
Watson's personal statistics rival most other premier QBs in the NFL: 4823-yards passing; 33 touchdowns with just 7 interceptions and a very useful 444-yards rushing prove that the former Clemson University graduate is worth every cent Texans' owner Janice McNair wishes to throw at him.
It wasn't such a great year for Houston, mind: a 4-12 record in what was considered a winnable AFC South has to be disappointing for a player of Deshaun Watson's caliber. Many of you may have seen JJ Watt apologizing to him for 'wasting one of his years' as the two stars trudged off the turf after a tough loss to the Tenessee Titans on the final day. Will Watson be back in navy and red? Only time will tell, but if reports are to be believed, the answer could well be a resounding, "No!" (watch this space).
#3 Russell Wilson - Seattle Seahawks ($35 million per year)
From September to mid-October, Seattle Seahawk's Russel Wilson was the best (and the most exciting) QB in the league; hands down! Some of the balls that he was chucking up for Metcalf and Lockett were reentering our atmosphere with snow on them, and fans were treated to some spectacular touchdowns (see below).
A tough week vs the Arizona Cardinals in week-8, a game in which Wilson threw 3 picks, saw the beginning of his decline in form. He threw x2 picks vs both the Rams and the Bills in weeks-9 & 10, and from then on, Wilson's yardage per game took a significant downturn as he sought to better protect the dingus from wily cornerbacks.
The Seahawks did win the NFC West division title, but a Wildcard exit in the playoffs vs the Rams last week will be hard to stomach for the Seattle faithful, especially after such a good start to the campaign.
Wilson is still one of the NFL's elite QBs and does provide value (and entertainment) for money, but this is the second year in succession that he's found the backstretch of the season to be tough going and he needs to do a better job of playing ball when the chips are down if Seattle is ever to make it back to the Super Bowl.
#4 Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers ($34 million per year)
Pittsburgh fans were rightly excited to see QB, Big Ben Roethlisberger back in the pocket in time for the 2020 season. The 2x Super Bowl-winning Steelers' legend missed the entirety of the 2019 campaign after undergoing shoulder surgery, and stand in, Mason Rudolph struggled in his absence.
So, did Big Ben return to form, and was he worth his astronomically high $34 million a year contract in 2020? Yes and No: his statistics leave him just shy of tier one. 3803-yards passing and 30 touchdowns are all well and good, but 10 interceptions on the year have to be disappointing reading for the Miami University product.
Pittsburgh crashed out of the playoffs at the hands of division rivals, Cleveland Browns last Sunday evening. The Steelers were losing 28-0 by the second quarter, but you can't attribute it to Big Ben. On the contrary - when all hope seemed lost, Roethlisberger slung the dingus for +500-yards in a desperate bid to get his team back in the contest. Sure, he threw 4-picks, too, but he left it all out there, and it's not like the Steelers had much of a running game to assist him either.
To summarise, Roethlisberger can still do it; the veteran had a year out, returned, and barely missed a beat. But, at 38-years old, and with a long injury record behind him, it's hard to say he's still worth that big contract. It might well be time for the Steelers to head in a different direction; perhaps spend some of Roethlisberger's salary on that 100-yard a game running back they so desperately need.
Jared Goff - Los Angeles Rams & Aaron Rodgers - Green Bay Packers (both $33.5 million)
Jared Goff continues to flatter to deceive in the city of angels. There are times when the Rams QB looks elite, and his ability to sit in the pocket and pick out the likes of Kupp and Woods is unquestionable when he's given the time to do so.
The problem is that the inconsistent Goff crumbles under pressure, seems unwilling to take any hits (yes, I know he played on with a bad thumb but let's not pretend the guy is a hero - he does not want any contact with opposition D), and he continues to make huge errors: a ratio of 20 TDs to 13 picks is simply not good enough for a QB playing in Sean McVay's exciting offense.
In short, Goff is not worth his huge contract. Don't be surprised to see the Rams make moves in the off-season (unless of course, Goff can ride his sturdy Rams defense all the way to a Super Bowl win).
When head coach, Matt LeFleur opted to bring rookie-QB, Jordan Love to Green Bay with his first pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, many thought Aaron Rodgers's days with the Packers were done for: 'Number 12' did not seem best pleased, and understandably so - he has been one of the NFL's elite players for over a decade and probably deserved a WR2 to help bring him another Super Bowl to Wisconsin; Lord knows he'll probably need another vs the Rams stingy pass-coverage at the weekend!
If the true mark of a man is how he responds to adversity though Rodgers must be considered Herculean: not only did he not sulk or damage team morale; he actually put up one of his finest season's to date: 4299-yards; 48 touchdowns, and just 5 picks on the year make him the only player who has any chance of rivaling Patrick Mahomes in this year's MVP voting. I personally feel the award should in fact go to Rodgers, who has better stats playing in a slightly inferior team, but 'that's just my opinion, maaaan' (Big Lebowski).
Whether he does or does not lift the MVP award is not really the focus of this list, though. What's important -- so far as we are all concerned -- is that Aaron Rodgers - without a shadow of a doubt - provided the best value for money among the NFL's elite QBs this year; he was superb! Now go get the guy another receiver already!
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