The paychecks of most NFL players are commensurate with skills sets and what they bring to the team overall--and this is fine. A huge part of how a team performs and the win statistics it ends up with at the end of every season depends on its mix of players, how they work together and, in some special super-talented cases, how they work alone.
According to an infographic by Sports Interaction, NFL players made an average of $1.9 million in 2013, with career lengths spanning 3.5 years again on average, or about $6.7 million per contract. How much a player is worth to a team is a tricky discussion and can be based on many things, depending on how the team's management sees it. But seeing that Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan's paycheck from June 1, 2013 to June 1, 2014 was $43.8 million, as reported by CBS Sports, it can easily be concluded that, yes, some players are overpaid (and some underpaid).
Bleacher Report came up with a list of some of the National Football League's most overpaid players this year.
1. Eli Manning ($16.5 million average pay)
The NY Giants quarterback signed into the Giants in 2009 for a six-year $97.5 million deal. His current price tag might have been well worth it at the height of his activities, but unfortunately Manning is no longer performing at the same level at present. In fact, the Giants had been unable to make even the playoffs in the last two seasons.
2. Mike Wallace ($12 million average pay)
The wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers enjoyed the peak of his career in 2009 to 2012, with stats impressive enough to make him the most coveted free-agent before the 2013 season began. However, while he does have the unique skills, he has a limited route tree and had even dropped too many passes to merit this much a paycheck.
3. James Laurinaitis ($8.3 million average pay)
The St. Louis Rams inside linebacker receives a higher pay than NFL stars Derrick Johnson and Daryl Washington. If that's not enough of a shock, Laurinaitis has pretty poor stats for somebody earning this high. Bleacher Report adds that by the end of 2013 season, the player had 13 missed tackles to his name and a dismal minus-5.7 run-defense rating. The Rams may not have had a choice but to offer him a huge check to keep him, but, still, this amount is too much for something delivered so poorly.
4. Ray Rice ($7 million average salary)
Ray Rice is a star, there's no denying that, but his paycheck is justifiable only at the start of his career. Since 2013, Rice has been performing rather dismally, finishing the season with nine missed tackles and an average of only 3.1 yards per carry. In his heyday, Rice forced 26 missed tackles and logged 4.3 years per carry. With this huge a drop, it's a surprise that the 27-year-old has already started dwindling after just a year.
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