‘Buffoon’ GMs Willing to Pay QB Mike Glennon Upwards of $15 Million a Season
Now that the 2016 NFL season is almost over, let’s just all acknowledge that Brock Osweiler isn’t good and the Houston Texans failed miserably in their attempt to pay him in advance for something he had never shown the ability to do—be a franchise quarterback. In fact, I thought he made it clear with the Denver Broncos that he wasn’t even ready to be a starting quarterback.
Alas, some people and organizations will never learn, and despite the hard lesson that Osweiler has taught us all, reports suggest there are general managers around the NFL willing to pay Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup QB Mike Glennon anywhere from $13-15 million a year this offseason as an unrestricted free agent.
Although Glennon has a pretty good 30-15 TD-INT ratio, he only has 18 starts, and proved unable to beat out Josh McCown for the starting role and struggled to top Josh Freeman at the position before that. McCown, of course, is one of the worst starting QBs in recent memory. Freeman is a joke.
Osweiler showed similar concerns. Despite the opportunity to start for the eventual Super Bowl 50 champion Broncos, Osweiler struggled in game management and overall accuracy. They still won, but a lot of it was the defense. That didn’t stop the Texans from shelling out $72 million over the next four seasons for him. And, sadly, the Buccaneers’ unwillingness to start Glennon in the past most likely won’t prevent some other general manager from making the same mistake.
For many in NFL circles, these gross overpayments are a sore subject. While reviewing the list of the league’s highest-paid QBs, NFL legend Marshall Faulk had some choice words for GMs and their part in the rising value of anything with a pulse and a slightly above average ability to throw the football in professional football.
“These GMs out here who keep paying these guys just so they can say ‘this is what we need to do,’ you are buffoons,” said Faulk, fed up with the idea of paying quarterbacks in advance for potential wins. “That’s what you are. Seriously. Some of these guys have not done anything to get the money they’ve gotten but potential gets paid and sometimes talent is not rewarded in this league. They want to discover the guy. They want to be responsible for the guy and what happens is, these owners get stuck with these guys on the bench holding money bags.”
Faulk’s tangent sprang from a discussion regarding Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins and his impending free agency. After solid showings over the past two seasons, Cousins is sure to demand a Jay Cutler deal—something in the range of $20 million a season. Keep in mind; Cousins led the Redskins to the playoffs last season; however, he has not won a postseason game in his career. It doesn’t look like he’ll have another chance this season.
Nonetheless, he’ll get the money. If the Redskins don’t give it to him, some other “buffoon” will. And that’s part of the problem. Teams like the Houston Texans put themselves in a terrible salary cap situation, and they still don’t win. It’s not always about the quarterback. Teams that invest in a solid offensive line and defense can do phenomenal things no matter who is at the helm. Just look at what the Dallas Cowboys have done this season with rookie QB Dak Prescott. The strong running game doesn’t hurt either.
The good GMs aren’t usually the ones looking for a quarterback. They’ve got their guy locked down. But as those guys start to retire, maybe the league’s top managers can help solve the QB inflation.