Defining Most Value
The phrase most value gets used a lot these days. Awards such as Most Valuable Player is just one of the many ways in which the term is used. For this story, I will be defining most value as the most bang for the buck. A lot of big-time signings have already been made. Cornerback J.C. Jackson reportedly signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers earlier this week. Wide receiver Christian Kirk also reset the market by agreeing to a massive deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars for $84 million over four seasons. That was probably a bit of a gamble on a player who has yet to record over 1,000 receiving yards in a season, but that does not matter. Though his agent should probably be up for Most Valuable Agent for getting Kirk that huge deal.
Reporting on those kinds of stories is easy and a bit overdone to me. I prefer to write about something a little more challenging. That is why I am looking for players who may sign for below their market value but perform well above their price tag. Some of these individuals may be seen as over-the-hill, coming off an injury, or just looking to prove themselves worthy of a bigger contract. These athletes’ impact may go beyond the field as well. Their production may have dipped a bit over the years, but can still be leaders in a locker room for a team.
Andy Dalton
Quarterback Andy Dalton has been unfairly overlooked his entire NFL career. He was drafted in the second round by the Cincinnati Bengals and led a below-average team to the playoffs. Dalton was then compensated with a contract that paid him like an average starting quarterback in the league. That in itself was a tragedy, but things did not improve much from there. The quarterback was then given one-year deals by the Dallas Cowboys and the Chicago Bears in the last two seasons. Dalton of course outperformed his salary when called upon to play.
Now he is a free agent once again looking for a team he can help win. A team that immediately comes to mind is the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle recently traded away Russell Wilson and is now looking for a player to fill that hole. The Seahawks have a few players on the roster that could fill that void, but Dalton would be a massive upgrade over all of those athletes.
O.J. Howard
O.J. Howard was one of the most talked-about tight ends coming out of college. He ran 4.51 40-yard dash at 6’6″ and 251 pounds at the scouting combine. Howard was selected 19th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017. The tight end has not lived up to the expectations of where he was drafted. The most receiving yards he has recorded in a season was 565 in his second year as a pro. It did not help matters that Tampa had Cameron Brate and traded for Rob Gronkowski as well.
Howard was expected to have a big year after tearing his Achilles tendon during the 2020 season. He came back and only had 135 receiving yards and one touchdown reception. Howard is now a free agent and looking to live up to the expectations he had prior to being drafted. I am predicting he will take a one-year prove-it deal to reset his value in hopes of getting a bigger contract in the future.
J.C. Tretter
J.C. Tretter has had a whirlwind week, to say the least. He was unanimously re-elected as the NFL Players’ Association’s president on Match 12th of this year. Tretter was then released by the Cleveland Browns on March 15th as a cap casualty. This was reportedly a move to make room for a possible trade for Deshaun Watson. This move caught a lot of people and me off guard. It seems a little strange to cut a guy like Tretter for an exchange that may or may not happen at the end of the day. Why not wait to execute the deal before releasing a key member of the team?
Tretter is now a free agent regardless of the circumstances that got him here. He had a Pro Football Focus rating of 78.7 for last season. That was good enough to be around middle-of-the-pack last year. Where Tretter really shines though is in the locker room. His former Browns teammates viewed him as a leader for the team. I assume he will do the same for another franchise that needs a veteran voice on their squad.
Patrick Peterson
Patrick Peterson joined the Minnesota Vikings on a one-year deal last offseason after being cut by the Arizona Cardinals. There were a lot of questions surrounding his release from Arizona. Many were wondering if he still had the athleticism to be a lockdown corner. Some even were considering him as a future safety. Others were concerned about his suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. The Cardinals decided to move on from Peterson regardless of the reasoning and allowed him to test the open market.
His choice to join the Vikings certainly paid off. Peterson did whatever former coach Mike Zimmer asked him to do and did it extremely well. The three-time All-Pro showed he could still be a dependable cornerback in the NFL. Now, he is looking to capitalize on that success. The problem is, he is on the wrong side of 30. Teams are always willing to pay well for players that can cover in the passing game but are not willing to commit long-term to them. I think the best he can do is a two-year deal at the average cornerback salary or make a little more on a one-year contract.
Bobby Wagner
The Seahawks have been active this offseason. After trading Wilson, they elected to cut six-time All-Pro linebacker, Bobby Wagner. Both these moves signify an intent to rebuild the franchise around some new cornerstones. Wagner has always been an elite linebacker. He has had at least 100 combined tackles every season of his career. Wagner only had one year when this almost did not happen, but he only played 11 games during that campaign. Some say he is not as quick as he was a few seasons ago. Wagner will be 32 at the start of 2022. Age seems to be just another number to him. The linebacker made a career-high 170 combined tackles this last year.
Wagner has achieved a lot during his time in the league. He already has a Super Bowl ring, but I have a feeling he would like another. That means he wants to go to a team that is a contender right now. A few clubs fit this description, but one stands out to me. Something tells me Wagner would like to reunite with the defensive coordinator who helped lead Seattle to a Super Bowl victory. That person is Dan Quinn who happens to be coaching with the Cowboys right now. Dallas has been struggling with the cap this year though. Unless Wagner is willing to take a pay cut, I do not see him coming to play for the Cowboys. It would be fun to see what he and reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Micah Parsons could do on the same team though.
Closing Thoughts
This article was published on the Belly Up Sports website and specifically its NFL page. Belly Up Sports also has a Twitter page where you can interact with the network. I also have written for this outlet before so see my most recent story if you would like. If you would like to talk to me directly, feel free to chat with me on my Twitter as well. Try to keep it clean and proper. If you are incapable of doing so, ignore that completely and battle it out with me. Just a few warnings for those who dare challenge me. I am highly competitive and hate to admit when I am wrong. So be prepared for a war of words.
