63 million???

Wowzers! Terrell Suggs signs a 63 million dollar extension and becomes the highest paid LB in NFL history. The way the contract is structured he will collect 40 million in the first 24 months. 

It's hard to gauge the value of professional athletes. I look at it in as simple a way as possible. He is not the best LB in the NFL, he is not the best defensive player on his team, and he is not the leader of his defense... he's not even the number two guy (Reed and Lewis are the top two guys in Baltimore).  So why would Ozzie Newsome pay Suggs that kind of money? I can't see him contributing enough to be worth that much of the salary cap and I would be surprised if he plays hard after that first 2 years is up.

Players like Suggs, Hanesworth, and a number of other big names have signed front loaded deals. Thomas Jones is an example of a player who collected the lions share of his 4 year contract in the first two years. Now in year three he his dissatisfied and wants to renegotiate. This new trend in the NFL is going to continue to cause hold outs and friction between players and the teams they play for. 

Matt Cassel also signed a 63 million dollar deal. It may seem absurd to give a player who hasn't started a full season that kind of money, but franchise QB's are in the highest demand and shortest supply in the NFL these days. 63 million actually sounds like a fair deal. What a world we live in!