FanPost

Andy Dalton and the Era of the Disposable Quarterback

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

I have always supported Dalton, and still do, but with the trend of increasing quarterback salaries, I might be open to other options. Looking at the list of top quarterback salaries, I just can’t believe a team would spend this kind of money on a quarterback, especially if there are questions about their ability.

Finding a franchise quarterback is very important; history has shown that the top quarterbacks lead their teams to the Super Bowl. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers, and Drew Brees are all franchise quarterbacks who have led their team to one or more recent Super Bowls. While it is very important to hang on to those franchise quarterbacks, paying the wrong guy can be very costly.

Name Team Total Average Per Year % Guaranteed Free Agency
Aaron Rodgers Packers $110,000,000 $22,000,000 49.10% 2020
Matt Ryan Falcons $103,750,000 $20,750,000 40.50% 2019
Joe Flacco Ravens $120,600,000 $20,100,000 24.00% 2019
Drew Brees Saints $100,000,000 $20,000,000 40.00% 2017
Peyton Manning Broncos $96,000,000 $19,200,000 18.80% 2017
Colin Kaepernick 49ers $114,000,000 $19,000,000 11.40% 2021
Jay Cutler Bears $126,700,000 $18,100,000 30.00% 2021
Tony Romo Cowboys $108,000,000 $18,000,000 37.00% 2020
Matt Stafford Lions $53,000,000 $17,666,667 78.30% 2018

Jay Cutler and Tony Romo stand out as being way overpaid, they are good but inconsistent quarterbacks who have failed their teams. Matt Ryan appears to be a good quarterback, but has only 1 playoff win. Joe Flacco came through with a Super Bowl MVP performance to justify his contract, however was one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the NFL last season, giving "I told you so" rights to the masses.

If these guys don’t perform, their teams are not good enough on their own and they can’t afford to bring in or retain enough talent. Trent Dilfer was probably the ultimate example of a game manager quarterback who won a Super Bowl on the strength of defense, running and kicking game. More recently young quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick went with their teams to the Super Bowl, I can’t say they led their teams.

Super Bowl XLVIII was the battle between Manning’s offense and Seattle’s defense, and the defense won in a big way. Granted Wilson did what his team needed him to do, but let’s be honest, they would have won letting the defense play both ways.

The cost of the "franchise" quarterback beyond his rookie deal is equal to the cost of 2-3 top players at other positions. Heck, you can have a good offensive line or outfit three quarters of your defense for that amount. Bengals' top-5 paid offensive line add up to less than 17 Million against the cap. To make up for allocating so much to the quarterback, teams must do a great job drafting players, plus find value free agents to plug the holes.

The Patriots did a great job of this, solid draft picks and always able to squeeze out a few more years from an aging veteran. The Seahawks and 49ers invested in offensive line, running game and defense similar to how the Ravens won with Trent Dilfer, but these defenses are geared more toward stopping the pass rather than the run. The Bengals almost did the same thing, allocating a ton of money to the defensive line but on offense they invested heavily in the passing game.

The Colts had some luck, an injured Peyton Manning tanked their season, but it enabled them to draft arguably the best quarterback out of college since Peyton Manning himself. No doubt that Dalton has been a great value, and I don’t think the Bengals would have made the playoffs so quickly and consistently without him.

The 49ers, Seahawks, and Eagles have also been able to find value quarterbacks later in the draft. It’s happening far too often to be just luck, it’s starting to become a trend. We don't really know at this point if these guys will really be franchise guys. They've not been around long enough to know.

Can the Bengals decide not to pay Dalton and do it again? Going into the draft without a solid quarterback option is a risk. The Texans failed to get a quarterback and are stuck with Ryan Fitzpatrick. It will be interesting to see how well they do following the trend of dominant defense and solid running game. I think for this to work, you must have a solid team.

We have seen far too many teams struggle year after year because they couldn't get a quality quarterback, but honestly those teams had a lot of other issues. Does the quarterback make the team, or does the team make the quarterback?

Young quarterbacks are finding success in the NFL much more often than in the past. The new CBA makes draft picks affordable, missing on one doesn’t kill your cap, and if they are good, they are a great value for the first few years. Just how high will the market go?

Dalton, Alex Smith, and Palmer are free agents in 2015. Eli Manning, Rivers, Roethlisberger, Bradford, Luck, Newton, Wilson, and RG3 are all free agents in 2016.

Also, the salary cap estimates for 2016 are around $150-to-160 Million so teams will have an extra $20-30 Million per year to pay these guys. With quarterback contracts skyrocketing and seeing the early success of rookie quarterbacks, it makes me wonder if we are approaching the era of the disposable quarterback.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Cincy Jungle's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan, which is as important as the views of Cincy Jungle's writers or editors.