We often lament that Dalton is not elite like Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees, etc..., etc..., etc...
And for good reason - Dalton is not yet elite. His struggles in big games are well known, as are his great performances in most other games.
But when we complain that Dalton is not great, we are comparing a 3-year pro Andy Dalton to guys who have been in the league for quite a few years. Nobody said Peyton or Rodgers or Brees were "elite" when they were in year 3.
Andy Dalton has won as many playoff games in his first-3 years as guys like Peyton, Brees, Cutler, Rodgers, Eli, Palmer, Stafford, Romo, etc.... have in their first 3 years.
Compared to the better QB’s in the league today, Andy Dalton has been one of the most productive in his first 3 years in the league. And that is why he will get paid.
Compared to these very good 13 QB’s who have been starting for a while (Peyton, Newton, Ryan, Cutler, Big Ben, Eli, Carson, Brady, Brees, Romo & Rodgers)....
Andy Dalton is...
Second in YARDS (11,360), behind only P Manning (12,287)
Second in WINS (30), behind only Matt Ryan (33)
Second in TD’s (80), behind only P Manning (85)
Third in YPG (236.7), behind only P Manning (256.0) and J Cutler (243.9)
Has a better QB Rating than P Manning, etc..., etc..., etc...
Ultimately the point is that Andy Dalton only has 3 years under his belt. And compared to the "very good" and "elite" QB’s playing today, Dalton has a better start to his career than most all of them.
Does this mean that Dalton will end up better than them?
Not necessarily.
But it is a good sign that he could possibly end up in their company when he’s been in the league as long as they have.
And that is why he will get paid. Because he has been as good or better than most of today's best QB's when comparing his first 3 years in the league to their first 3 years. This bodes well for him.