I feel very late to the party on Xavien Howard signing the richest CB contract in history, but to my defense, I was out for wings when this news broke last night. I think we can all agree that when you’re out for wings, you really can’t be held responsible for being on call for anything. Whether you’re on call for surgery, prisoner transport or blogging, when wings are involved, you’re off the hook for any kind of obligation.
So, Xavien Howard finally signs his long term extension with the Dolphins and I for one couldn’t be any happier about it. I wrote a month ago how much of a good sign it was that Howard showed up for involuntary workouts. It showed that more than likely that Howard knew a deal was coming and it came in a big way. $76.5m, with $46m guaranteed is a pretty good way to spend your Thursday night. You can buy a lot of wings with that kind of dough.
This was the only move Miami could make that would make sense. If they didn’t resign him, then Howard would be just another drafted player that was good to really good that the Dolphins decided they weren’t going to keep. I don’t feel like going through the laundry list of players that the Dolphins have drafted, played well and then 4-5 years later were shown the door. In signing Howard to this record deal, it’s like Dr. Strange once famously said, “there was no other way.”
The amount of money is where many folks on the line are getting all flustered about. Howard signing this deal makes him the highest paid CB of all time and people are having a hard time understanding that just because he signed the highest paid CB of all time contract that it doesn’t mean he’s the best of all time or even right now. To those thinking that I say you’re dumb and you simply don’t understand how things work.
It’s like when Stafford, Garoppolo, Cousins, Ryan, in that order, signed their contracts. When they did, they each became the highest paid player of all time. It didn’t mean that they were the best or anything remotely like that. It meant that’s where the market was going and they were able to get that money. Same thing with Howard. I’m a big Howard guy, but if you want to put him somewhere outside the top 5 CBs in the league, I can understand it. Still, he’s able to command that type of money due to playing out of his skis the last few seasons. I have no idea who the next big thing corner whose contract is nearing an end is, might be Jalen Ramsey, but they’ll get a bigger contract than Howard’s. It’s just how these things work.
Here’s some stats…
Howard is a stud and I don’t think there’s any denying that. Is he the #1 CB in the league right now, debatable. But he’s in the conversation. Having 11 INTs in his last 17 games is why he got his money. For the past two seasons, he’s dominated his side of the the field and has won games nearly by himself. With Flores now at the helm of the defense, expect Howard to be in more man to man situations. That’s great for everybody because Howard excels at that style of play. His technique makes up for his lack of pure speed and ball hawking talents pays off in major ways.
The Dolphins signing one of their own, for once, hopefully opens the door for them to continue this trend. Next up is Laremy Tunsil. I’d like to say he’ll be with the Dolphins for the next couple of years, but I suppose it all comes down to how he does this year.
Here’s some obligatory Xavien Howard highlights
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