My biggest issue with this article is the assumption that Brandin Cooks has to achieve WR1
STATISTICS to be worth the money that we paid him. If last year is any indication, McVay and Goff like to share the ball around, and this aspect makes them harder to defend. If Cooks can put up 800+ yards, score multiple touchdowns, AND draw the attention of the defense enough that he opens up space for Kupp, Woods and the TEs, and if he can do it for 5 years, he will be worth that contract. In fact, I think it is probable that if the TEs step up this year and become another deadly weapon for McGoff, there may even be fewer targets to share around among the WRs. And this is a GOOD thing. It is about team success, not individual stats.
As far as the Gurley side of things, they make some fair points. But to me, you have to take the whole contract, not just the extension, and look at it. If you view the combined contract and extension as a 6 year, 72 million dollar contract, it has us buying the most productive years of one of the game's top RBs, a dual threat weapon, for $12 million per year. High but in line with value. Faulk was productive for that long, as was Edgerrin James and LaDainian Tomllinson. He does not have to be OPOY every year to make this contract a good investment.
Both of these contract pay YOUNG players who have
proven production and gives them high but market value contracts for 5+ years, with much of the money being paid before Goff breaks the bank in 2021.
And they certainly beat paying Sammy Watkins $16 million/year for
potential production.
