Spending Wild: The False Narrative of an NFL Off-Season
Every offseason, most NFL teams prioritze large contracts over character fits. Justin looks into the talking impact of money in the NFL in his latest article.
The Media Contract Fallacy
Unlike other professional sports, NFL contracts are never what they seem. The concept of guaranteed money baits reporters into spreading incentive-laden figures to the public. This misinformation tricks the average person into believing teams are going all-in on improving the team. Often these figures are false information and used as clickbait, which the public memorizes, regurgitates, and falsely believes teams are willing to put a contender on the field. However, especially when a plethora of misinformation is an understatement, contracts must be reported to their honest figures.
NFL Purpose?
Every single offseason, there are teams with oodles of cap space and others that adjust on their cap daily to accommodate new free agents. Most NFL teams choose big names over value and fit. While good for the NFL economy, many organizations believe they are one player, or a few, from becoming a serious contender. Much of the media buy into this hype because outlets intend on making fan bases happy. Is the purpose of signing big-name free agents truly to better the team or to appeal to a fan base?
The Character Concern
The answer, as most will admit, lies in the middle. Names can be just that—players are used as an example by large entities to spread the misintention they are legitimate contenders to the public. Teams must consider character before they rush off to sign the hottest free agents available, Will the player continue playing at a high level once signed? Will their impact on the football field be the same as in the locker room? How will the player be seen in a local community?
Due Process
All these considering factors must be analyzed when choosing to sign free agents. Most NFL teams do not investigate the cultural impact of a player in their locker room and instead rely solely upon on-field productivity. Instead of prioritizing football fits, due process must be done on a player and evaluate whether the addition will benefit their team in more ways than just on the football field. Teams tired of losing have their patience evaporated, condensed into gigantic dollar figures to mid-tier free agents. Money talks, whether people like it or not. The NFL “water cycle” exists, but people choose to believe what they want rather than the truth.
Conclusion
Teams need to spend to improve the on-field product, which determines the outlook of a franchise. However, when impatience outweighs logic, mistakes happen that require massive changes. Buyers must know what they are getting in a player, both physically and psychologically, or it could go backward, fast. Those committed to winning understand their strengths and improve their weaknesses while remaining true to the ideals of the franchise. Teams lose sight of their long-term purpose, splurging on likeness rather than value. Teams must remain true to their core and make crucial decisions geared towards improving, or maintaining, culture.