After getting paid, how will Fins players play?
After getting paid, will Stills, Branch, Jones, and Alonso still play at high level?
In the offseason, the Miami Dolphins made it a top priority to keep their in-house players with big contracts. This strategy was a refreshing change. For years, Miami entered Free Agency with a blank check looking to sign the biggest name on the market… while letting their own guys walk.
It didn’t work out too well.
You could say that most of those players weren’t even worth re-signing anyway–that’s even more depressing.
This new philosophy of high-priority focus on their own should go a long way in making the rest of the Miami players believe that if you work hard and play well, then the FO will have your back when contract time rolls around.
Even now, it’s paying some dividends as Jarvis Landry isn’t even considering a hold-out, because he’s not that kind of guy and has full trust that “Miami takes care of its own”.
This philosophy is great in theory… but it will only matter if it pans out.
But will it?
2017 will be a flashing neon pointing in the direction of yes or no.
It doesn’t take a great best pay per head review sites to know that once players get that long-awaited payday, plenty pull back on their effort and production diminishes. Albert Haynesworth will forever be the poster boy of a payday followed by a flop. In 2009 he signed a $100 million dollar contract with the Redskins… he was cut 2 years later.
How does getting paid big money affect a player’s mentality?
Kenny Stills, Andre Branch, Reshad Jones, and Kiko Alonso whowere all given raises and contract extensions. Due to all the guaranteed money they received, they must play well and stay healthy, or there will be major negative ramifications on the Fins talent level and the cap.
Of this list, Branch is the most concerning. With only has one season under his belt in Miami, it’s not like he’s busted his butt in Miami for years with a track record of production. Also, Branch wasn’t a world beater in his 4 previous years in Jacksonville, averaging 3.5 sacks per year. However, he had one of his best seasons in 2016 and definitely displayed a high motor and great work ethic.
The reality is that Miami likely decided to pony up the cash due to a weak Defensive End market. His three year $24 million dollar contract might seem expensive at first glance, but in reality, to get top Edge Rusher would have cost Miami much more.
Alonso and Stills are a lesser concern than Branch in terms of being worried about not getting Miami’s money’s worth due to lack of effort or talent.
Like Branch, Alonso had only one season to prove himself as a Dolphin. However, there’s no question that his production was much more impressive than Branch’s. History sides with Alonso’s talent. He had a stellar rookie campaign for the Bills in 2013. But with Alonso, the concern is health instead of effort. He was hampered by injuries in 2014 and 2015 and limited last year with a broken thumb. More than a lack of work ethic, health is the bigger roadblock.
When the money paid is guaranteed, poor performance does little to lower a player’s salary
Stills has spent two years in Miami, but was totally under used by the Philbin regime. This is his first big payday in the NFL, so while there’s a chance he may get complacent, Stills comes across as a hard worker. Another positive factor is that he had other offers that were higher than Miami’s, but his relationship with Coach Gase–along with nice guaranteed cash–ended up with him choosing Miami. If you want to be sentimental, maybe Coach Gase’s recognition of Stills’ unique skill set and ability to design plays for him, pulled at Stills heart strings and was the reason he stayed. We’ll see how special that relationship is by his effort in 2017.
Jones is a Miami veteran… but he’s growing a bit old in the tooth. Jones will have to play 3-4 more years at a top level for the deal to be worth it. So in his case, father time is the greatest enemy in my eyes. Jones is a class act and has always played hard. But as you get older the pain threshold gets lower. When injuries and soreness grow, will he have the will to push through?
Miami initiated an interesting team building concept by giving a lot of guaranteed money in exchange for lesser money overall. they wanted to keep their own players, and they did. It was pretty creative. Now that they have those players, the question is, was it the right move?
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