If the writers were poking fun at that contract when he got it, which was after the 2015 season, then they were the ones who were ignorant.

He had 10 TDs that year. That’s a normal contract for that type of production.

There were various articles and it’s been broken down on this board numerous times about the average cost in salary for a TD. There aren’t many players that get into 10+ TD production per year and $10M for that was actually on the low side.

Now of course, the contract looks much worse because he wasn’t nearly as productive in 2016.

Same with the Barron contract. It was given when he was a vital cog in an untraditional scheme. The question isn't whether it makes sense now, it was whether it made sense then.