The 2020 Quarterback Draft Class Just Got Even Richer
Image Credit: Dan Powers / USA TODAY
On July 26, it was confirmed that two other quarterbacks from the 2020 NFL Draft had been given brand-new contracts; Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins, and Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers. This comes after heavy controversy regarding which quarterback deserves more money.
That controversy was put to rest as Tagovailoa was the first one to get paid. He signed a four-year, $212.4 million extension with Miami, which is roughly $53.1 million annually. At the time, that made him the third highest paid quarterback in the league based off of annual salary (Love’s contract would eventually make him the fourth).
While Tagovailoa did the lead the league in passing during the 2023-24 NFL regular season, and had 29 passing touchdowns, many were not yet ready to “buy in” on the now fifth-year quarterback. Add in the fact that he has had suffered multiple head injuries, and has never even won a playoff game, and it makes sense why fans were hesitant to accept a contract extension. However, Miami’s front office was ready to “buy in” on Tagovailoa, as he is now their starting quarterback for the foreseeable future. With weapons on offense such as Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Raheem Mostert, and De’Von Achane, a new question emerges:
Can this offense, and Tagovailioa, remain explosive during the postseason?
As the national media and fans were still arguing about the massive contract extension given to Tagovailoa, the Green Bay Packers decided to make their move. This wasn’t just any move, but one that would make Jordan Love the highest paid quarterback in NFL history. To give the exact number, it is a four-year contract worth $220 million. Tacked onto that is a $75 million signing bonus and $155 million in full guarantees.
While Packers fans are ultimately very happy about this decision, kind of like Dolphins fans with their quarterbacks’ contract, there were many people who were not. While Love doesn’t have a long list of injuries, and has already won a playoff game for the Packers, he has only played one full season in the NFL. For the previous three seasons, he was sitting behind future Hall of Famer, Aaron Rodgers; watching and learning from one of the best quarterbacks of all time.
Something must have certainly clicked for Love while he was watching Rodgers play because in just his first season as the starter he threw for 4,159 yards (7th), 32 touchdowns (2nd), and had a 62.1 QBR (9th). Those stats were able to lead the Packers to a 9-8 record, where they went on to win a Wild Card game against the Dallas Cowboys.
The main thing to point out with the Love and Tagovailoa contracts is the fact that teams don’t pay quarterbacks based on their production; that much is obvious at this point. While fans are going at each other for which side of the fence they’re on regarding how much money these guys are getting, it’s a meaningless argument until the football season actually starts. Tagovailoa’s playoff success can get brought up, and Love’s small sample size can be a talking point for the next two months, but NFL teams are paying based on promise. Anyone who says that these two players haven’t shown promise in this league is lying to themselves.
On paper, these deals might seem like “overpays”, but that’s not what the front offices see. In a quarterback driven league, if there is even an inkling of hope in a certain guy who might be able to lead a franchise to victory, teams’ are going to pay a hefty price to keep them around for a while.
Looking past the public’s overreactions, these two contracts come one year after three other quarterbacks from the 2020 NFL Draft were paid last offseason. Joe Burrow, the former number one overall pick of that draft, was given a five-year, $275 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. Justin Herbert, selected by the Los Angeles Chargers one pick after Tagovailoa went to the Dolphins, got a five-year, $262.5 million deal with his team. The final guy was an unlikely hero, as he was selected in the second round, while the other four guys were picked in the first. Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles signed a five-year, $255 million contract to stay in the “City of Brotherly Love”.
Is it safe to say that the 2020 NFL Draft was one of the most successful drafts of all time in terms of quarterbacks? While Burrow and Hurts, have had the most success in terms of winning conference championships and going to the Super Bowl, those five guys haven’t made a huge mark on the league; yet.
While the accolades aren’t quite there for these guys at the moment, they are worth a combined $1.25 billion. They must be doing something right.
With multiple other players in the 2020 draft class getting paid over $100 million such as OT Andrew Thomas, WR Justin Jefferson, and what looks to be WR CeeDee Lamb and OT Tristan Wirfs, this might be one of the most expensive classes in NFL history. With Love and Tagovailoa signing their contracts, that’s already be the case at the quarterback position. It’s all just a matter of which of these five guys will be the first one to win a ring.