When the Philadelphia Eagles signed Fletcher Cox to a historic contract Monday that paid him $63 million guaranteed, certain NFL players began to drool at the potential paychecks coming their way.
For a defensive tackle to be making the most guaranteed money by a non-quarterback in NFL history would have been unheard of in the not too distant past.
Nowadays, NFL players are expecting this kind of money, especially the number of once-in-a-lifetime superstars growing in the NFL.
Here is a breakdown of Fletcher Cox’s new contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, courtesy of OverTheCap.com.
When looking for a player due to cash in big thanks to the Eagles and Cox, three names immediately jump out: Von Miller, Muhammad Wilkerson, and Andrew Luck.
Miller and Luck could be looking at two of the biggest contracts in NFL history thanks to Fletcher Cox.
Not to mention in a couple of years, Khalil Mack will be holding his hands out to the Raiders looking to cash in on his incredible impact on this organization on the rise.
NFL Mocks staff writer Eric Robinson also took a look at the contract situations for these rising NFL stars.
"I think Wilkerson’s (contract) will be determined by Miller’s but if you’re the Denver front office, you may not have been too fond of Fletcher Cox getting $63M guaranteed. Von wanted $60, but that’s probably upped to $70M guaranteed now."
I mentioned to him how Miller just turned down a contract worth $114 million, and that the star linebacker is surely thrilled he did.
"Absolutely. I thought it was weird initially as well but seeing Cox get his money clarified it all."
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I doubt Wilkerson will get Fletcher Cox money, but a deal in the range of $95 million with $55 million guaranteed makes sense based on market value.
Von Miller on the other hand will be getting $70 million guaranteed in a deal that could potentially reach a grand total of $125 million.
Andrew Luck will be receiving “quarterback money” of course, and will most likely become one of the highest paid players in the history of the NFL. Whether or not he deserves it at this moment is yet to be seen.
Teams are beginning to pay for potential over production, which means contract surpassing all of the above names is due to be signed.
It will be interesting to see which of those players blink first in their ongoing contract negotiations. Giving-in during a contract negotiation could cost them tens of millions of dollars, which is something no one wants to give up.
To the dismay of General Managers and Owners everywhere, the Cox contract has officially shaped the framework of contract negotiations for many years to come in the NFL.