C.J. Mosley's new deal with the Jets makes him the league's highest-paid inside linebackerGETTY MAGES
NFL players have signed for $1.7B in new contracts as part of the "first wave of deals" since free agency officially commenced on Wednesday, according to Andrew Beaton of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. That figure "includes only deals that have been officially approved and will rise in the coming days." Spending figures across the league are "worth closely monitoring as the league enters the third year of its four-year cash-spending cycle." Teams are "required to spend 89% of their caps over the course of a four-year cycle," and three teams -- the Colts, Cowboys and Texans -- "entered this off-season below that 89% requirement." The Cowboys were the "lowest in the league, having spent just 78%" of their cap during the '17 and '18 seasons (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/16). In Boston, Ben Volin noted among the trends that "emerged from the first week" of the new league year is that "teams don't care about dead money anymore." This is "mostly because the salary cap keeps increasing" by $10-11M each season (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/17).
NO SURE THING: In DC, John Clayton noted in most cases, free agency "turns out to be a costly fling." Only 14 of the 49 highest-paid players from the '16 free agency class "remain on the teams that signed them." Perhaps the "most fascinating thing about these megadeals is that they're all done over the phone." This year, the majority of agreements "took place before free agency officially opened." Clayton: "Think about it: There are no player visits. There are no physicals until the player signs the contract. In many cases, teams are dishing out $10 million plus per year for players they've never met with" (WASHINGTON POST, 3/17).
OVERSPENDING EARLY: Browns GM John Dorsey noted there are "lots of mistakes made in free agency." He said, "And lots of mistakes made early in free agency -- when there are 32 teams competing for the best players, and you’re going to pay probably 20 percent more than makes sense” (NBCSPORTS.com, 3/18). Cowboys COO, Exec VP & Dir of Player Personnel Stephen Jones said of free agency, "You're overpaying in free agency most of the time. (Free agents) are overvalued." SI.com's Albert Breer writes most of the "good teams didn't spend" on free agents. Five of the six "lightest-spending teams made the playoffs last year, and two of the three lightest spenders played in the Super Bowl" (SI.com, 3/18).
