Trevor Lawrence most likely did not anticipate the kind of reaction his massive deal was going to bring about. As he inked a massive $275 million extension with the Jaguars, he joined Joe Burrow as the highest-paid quarterback based on annual compensation. However, rather than a congratulatory reception, his contract sparked conversations around salary caps and market corrections.
The quarterback market has skyrocketed, going from $30 million annual salaries to now $55 million expected to be the new standard. And analysts seem worried by this advancement. Michael Lombardi, for one, thinks there’s no other alternative and this growth is only going to go upwards.
The media analyst had an interesting opinion on this ongoing debate. While many have suggested salary caps on quarterback salaries like the NBA, Lombardi is convinced the teams are just going to keep paying out. He elucidated,
“The reason they’re getting the money is because we cannot say no, its like the fork I can’t put down to lose weight. Because there’s no alternative because the media is so worried…(teams) are going to have to suck it up and have to figure out how to get another quarterback but they don’t want to do that so they just pay out.”
Interestingly, Lombardi thinks that unless someone like Jerry Jones decides that enough is enough, this trend is going to continue, and no market corrections will happen. However, there’s no indication that this is going to happen anytime soon, as he says, as long as the owners’ pockets are lined, they are not going to care much about what the quarterbacks are getting paid.
What is the Solution?
As Michael Lombardi puts it, franchise owners are not going to step in unless it’s their money that goes into the player’s wallets. Sadly, that’s not the case and the money comes from the salary caps.
As for the suggestion that another solution to this problem could be resolved if a salary cap is put on QB salaries, so only a percentage of the entire budget is allocated for QB salaries, insider Tom Pelissero earlier revealed that while owners have discussed this, these conversations have gone nowhere.
QBs playing at a high level are going to expect a level of commitment from their teams, and what better way to show that commitment than to bet a lot of money on them? Lombardi thinks someone like Jerry Jones can potentially take the step to reset the market, as he has a history of looking to the draft for new players.
For there to be any real solution to this, the league will have to step in and make a decision but it seems Trevor Lawrence’s deal has really put things into perspective and thrown this question out there. It remains to be seen whether the quarterback market is only going to go up from here or if a team going to put its foot down and disrupt this trajectory.
