Santana Moss at $5+ Million Per Season?

[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

The Washington Post reports the following:

According to sources familiar with Moss's extension negotiations, the former Jet will receive a multiyear contract averaging more than $5 million annually, plus guarantees of more than $10 million. Moss is scheduled to make about $450,00 this season. Last week, Moss's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, declined to comment until negotiations are complete. . . .

I wonder, how in the world did Santana Moss, guy slated to be the Jets’ number three wideout this season, manage to get a contract worth in excess of $5 million per season? Peerless Price and Laveranues Coles got seven year contracts worth $5 million per season in 2003. Santana Moss has NEVER produced the kind of numbers Price and Coles put up for the Bills and Jets respectively.

After thinking long and hard about the decision to let Smoot and Pierce go during free agency, I came to accept the front office’s decision to let them go. We need to show some restraint in free agency (even when dealing with Redskins like Pierce and Smoot). It’s painful to watch guys like Smoot go to another team, but the salary cap forces us to lose key personnel. So, as much as I hated to see them leave the team, I can understand why the front office didn’t give big contract extensions to Smoot and Pierce.

HOWEVER, I cannot for the life of me understand why we let guys like Smoot and Pierce go to other teams in the name of preserving our cap situation, while signing Santana Moss to a monster deal. We can’t say we’re going cap-conservative and then shoot our cap load on a player like Santana Moss.

I have no doubt that Santana Moss has the potential to become a very solid wideout, but thus far he has been anything but solid. He has produced one, count ‘em, one good season. And that one, single, solitary season doesn’t justify giving him a contract that is purportedly going to be worth more than what Torry Holt got from the Rams.

Maybe Gibbs should stick to his forte (coaching), and the ‘Skins should get a real GM.

[diehardskin2982]

the money thing i think is a snyder issue and he's always gonna over pay because he owns the richest team in SPORTS period and money to him is not an object.

[Daseal]

This is bad - he's not worth it. UGH.

[That Guy]

damn, i hope that story is wrong... really really wrong...

[offiss]

The only thing that matters is the guarenteed money and how it affect's the cap long term. Moss has the ability to be a big time reciever for us, he had an outstanding season in 2003 his first year as a primary target for Pennington, this past season Pennington couldn't throw the ball downfield which I am sure hindered Moss's production. If this deal is true it doesn't remotly come close to the stupidity that is the Brunell signing.

[AndySkinUK]

No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no.

If we do this then it comes a close 2nd to the deal Brunell got.

Let Moss play and prove his worth for us before we go handing him a big contract.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by offiss

The only thing that matters is the guarenteed money and how it affect's the cap long term. Moss has the ability to be a big time reciever for us, he had an outstanding season in 2003 his first year as a primary target for Pennington, this past season Pennington couldn't throw the ball downfield which I am sure hindered Moss's production. If this deal is true it doesn't remotly come close to the stupidity that is the Brunell signing.

Very true, let's not get hung up on the numbers until we know how they break down and will effect the cap.

That being said, he'd better revert back to the Moss of 2003 when he had 1000 yards and 10 TDs real quick.

For this kind of money, I think his days of returning punts are over.

[FRPLG]

This is nuts...what the hell?

[TheMalcolmConnection]

You know, if it was a decent-sized multi-year deal, I'd be happy. But more than Holt?! WTF... I definitely agree with you Matty that he can be a solid WR in the future, and locking him up long term to a modest-above average deal might not be a bad thing, but 5 MIL A YEAR?!

[MTK]

We need to find a list of the top paid wideouts to see where he would compare

[TheMalcolmConnection]

This is half of a list. It's from 2003, but you get the picture:

Moss, Randy Vikings $ 5,000,000 $ 0 $ 87,264 $ 5,087,264 $ 7,896,787 Harrison, Marvin Colts $ 4,500,000 $ 0 $ 0 $ 4,500,000 $ 7,709,590 Bruce, Isaac Rams $ 4,300,000 $ 0 $ 1,100,000 $ 5,400,000 $ 7,340,709 Owens, Terrell 49ers $ 4,200,000 $ 0 $ 500,000 $ 4,700,000 $ 6,661,235 Galloway, Joey Cowboys $ 4,855,000 $ 0 $ 2,900 $ 4,857,900 $ 6,643,614 Moulds, Eric Bills $ 3,100,000 $ 0 $ 1,225,000 $ 4,325,000 $ 6,325,000 Muhammad, Muhsin Panthers $ 3,900,000 $ 0 $ 100,000 $ 4,000,000 $ 5,978,117 Smith, Jimmy Jaguars $ 3,250,000 $ 0 $ 100,000 $ 3,350,000 $ 5,688,627 Horn, Joe Saints $ 700,000 $ 5,100,000 $ 1,700,000 $ 7,500,000 $ 5,312,500 Johnson, Keyshawn Buccaneers $ 2,900,000 $ 2,100,000 $ 400 $ 5,000,400 $ 5,177,542 Toomer, Amani Giants $ 1,725,000 $ 1,200,000 $ 503,900 $ 3,428,900 $ 4,178,900 Holt, Torry Rams $ 530,000 $ 12,500,000 $ 50,000 $ 13,080,000 $ 3,445,714 Booker, Marty Bears $ 2,500,000 $ 0 $ 100,000 $ 2,600,000 $ 3,385,714 Warrick, Peter Bengals $ 1,840,000 $ 0 $ 200,000 $ 2,040,000 $ 3,250,000 Smith, Rod Broncos $ 655,000 $ 0 $ 12,900 $ 667,900 $ 3,214,328 Brown, Tim Raiders $ 755,000 $ 2,000,000 $ 1,000 $ 2,756,000 $ 2,969,333 Dwight, Tim Chargers $ 900,000 $ 0 $ 1,003,100 $ 1,903,100 $ 2,903,100 McCaffrey, Ed Broncos $ 1,750,000 $ 1,000,000 $ 2,400 $ 2,752,400 $ 2,728,110 McCardell, Keenan Buccaneers $ 1,000,000 $ 1,000,000 $ 2,100 $ 2,002,100 $ 2,502,100 Mason, Derrick Titans $ 530,000 $ 2,970,000 $ 4,000 $ 3,504,000 $ 2,486,500 Brown, Troy Patriots $ 755,000 $ 0 $ 55,600 $ 810,600 $ 2,451,433 Coles, Laveranues Redskins $ 525,000 $ 13,000,000 $ 2,700 $ 13,527,700 $ 2,384,842 Chrebet, Wayne Jets $ 1,500,000 $ 0 $ 0 $ 1,500,000 $ 2,358,297 Pinkston, Todd Eagles $ 619,500 $ 2,890,000 $ 926,800 $ 4,436,300 $ 2,287,966 Johnson, Andre Texans $ 1,000,000 $ 9,000,000 $ 0 $ 10,000,000 $ 2,285,714 Rogers, Charles Lions $ 975,000 $ 9,100,000 $ 0 $ 10,075,000 $ 2,275,000 Terrell, David Bears $ 525,000 $ 0 $ 121,800 $ 646,800 $ 2,271,800 Taylor, Travis Ravens $ 824,000 $ 0 $ 226,100 $ 1,050,100 $ 2,175,100 Ward, Hines Steelers $ 1,668,750 $ 0 $ 4,400 $ 1,673,150 $ 2,173,150 Burress, Plaxico Steelers $ 450,000 $ 0 $ 130,175 $ 580,175 $ 2,171,841 Hakim, Az-Zahir Lions $ 1,000,000 $ 0 $ 100,000 $ 1,100,000 $ 2,150,000

[TheMalcolmConnection]

Basically to put it in perspective among all those numbers, he definitely does NOT warrant that kind of contract.

[BrudLee]

The breakdown is what's important here. Remember, Stephen Davis's (I think that's the correct punctuation) contract averaged over $10 million annually.

Santana will likely receive a sizable signing bonus, and a sizable roster bonus, and an outrageous pay increase in his 4th year of the deal. Which means we renegotiate before that.

As for his numbers never matching up to Coles or Price, I'd like to avoid any Price comparisons, since he turned out to be a stiff in Atlanta. Two years ago, Santana had 74 catches for 1103 yards and 10 TD's. His numbers were down last year - but so was his starting QB. And the Jets were so enamored with last year's offense that they promptly fired the coordinator.

Conversely, the year we made a grab for Coles, he had 15 more catches for 150 more yards (in four more starts) - and five less TD's. So the guy we got is two years younger, shows an affinity for both special teams (with a 12.0 yards/punt return) and the end zone, and went to Miami (doesn't matter to me, but SnC ought to be doing cartwheels). Let's not write him off as a bust of Brunell-ian proportions just yet.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

I'm not writing him off as a bust. In fact, I think he will be a promising #1/#2 receiver. I just don't think that right away he warrants that kind of contract.

[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

Brud,

I didn't bring up Price to say that he's great, just that his pre-big contract stats were impressive whereas Moss' are insufficient to warrant the kind of deal he'll be getting. But, fair enough criticism.

It's true, the breakdown of Santana's contract numbers are very important, but the signing bonus alone is a little crazy.

In any event, I don't think he's going to be a bust, but I doubt he'll warrant the kind of money he'll be getting paid. That's all.