In the National Football League, where compensation effectively amounts to a zero-sum game, quarterbacks who seek to maximize their personal profit may also affect their teams’ competitiveness on the field.
If pro football running backs face a dearth of options to achieve a long, lucrative career, then the players sharing the backfield face the opposite problem. Time after time in recent months, quarterbacks have received record-breaking contracts well into the nine figures.
While quarterbacks cashing in for big bucks has raised fewer eyebrows than the plight of top-tier running backs, both have major effects on the balance of power in the NFL.
A Literal and Figurative Arms Race
In the past several months, the NFL has seen numerous record-breaking contracts for quarterbacks, each larger than the last. In April, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts signed a contract extension that will pay him $255 million over five years. Ten days later, Baltimore Ravens star and former league MVP Lamar Jackson bested Hurts’ numbers by inking a five-year, $260 million deal.
The numbers kept rising over the summer. Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert signed a five-year, $262.5 million contract extension. And just as the current season started last month, Cincinnati Bengals star QB Joe Burrow signed for five years and $275 million.
The upward trend is inescapable, with each quarterback seeking to set financial records when negotiating a new deal. One can readily imagine why such competitive individuals would want to be the highest-paid players in their sport. But does this
