Why are teams wasting so much money?
Earlier this offseason we saw the Rams trade Jarred Goff and two first round picks to the Lions for Matthew Stafford, and just recently we saw the Eagles deal Carson Wentz to the Colts. One thing both of these trades have in common is that the original teams of the two 2016 quarterbacks have taken massive cap hits in dead money, cash they’re essentially wasting. The Rams took on $22.2 million in dead money by Trading Goff, which is a madness, and then the Eagles topped that when they traded Wentz, taking on $33.8 million in dead money. So why would these two teams do this, especially in a year where money matters most?
As for the Rams, LA decided that it was time to move on from Goff and that they’ve gotten the best that they could from the former first overall pick. This decision was apparently worth almost a ninth of their possible cap just disappearing into thin air. Its highly possible that the team views Matt Stafford as their best possible option to win now and make a push to the playoffs. Taking on so much dead money can be a mistake in the long run though, as it can make it difficult to make moves throughout the season when players inevitably go down with injuries and then you have to make a quick free agent signing. You cant sign a free agent if you dont have enough money.
As for the Eagles, its likely that they’re handling the situation completely different. Considering how much over the cap limit the Eagles are posed to be, the upcoming season might be a throw away. They’re currently at $248.3 million in commitments, including over $40 million in dead money. If the Eagles want to be successful they’ll want to save around $40 million before the start of the league year, meaning releasing players, as they have been doing recently with the cuts of both Desean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery. The franchise will have to make decisions quickly, one of those being who will be their starting quarterback for 2021. If the team decides to draft a quarterback, that would be a pick wasted, considering Jalen Hurts’ talent and potential to be their star for the next decade or so, they would be better off drafted a receiver, and build around that duo for the future.
To conclude, these teams felt the need to move on from the quarterbacks they drafted just 4 seasons ago and subsequently paid too early in their career. Teams taking on so much dead cash can possibly impact the league negatively. Throwing away so much money is a bad look, and if it doesn’t work out well for these teams in future years, it may cause hesitation when they try to extend their current players to large contracts or sign free agents. All in all its a bad look for the league and doesn’t send the right messages to fans, especially considering that these two guys were viewed as long term players in their organization and getting rid of them so quickly can leave fans feeling betrayed.