Henry Roldán
Not always being one of the star players on your team guarantees you a spot on your team, at least in the NFL this happens quite often due to the salary cap that organizations have to meet. For that reason, if at some point it is necessary to trade that player or release him, in order to reduce some salary space on the payroll, there will be a painful farewell. So here are five names of players who are stars in their teams and could take another direction in the coming weeks.
5.- Star players: Frank Clark
Clark’ s case is a strange one, as despite being selected to the Pro-Bowl in all three of his seasons with the Chiefs, the defensive end has not performed as well as expected when he signed a five-season, $105 million mega-contract.
In his first four seasons with the Seahawks the defender recorded 35 catches, while with Kansas City, in three years, he totals just 18.5, including 4.5 in 2021.
Such performance, in addition to the $26.3 million he would take up in salary space, suggests that the tight end’s time with Kansas City could be numbered. Being traded is also another option the Chiefs have with Clark, a move that could save them $12.5 million.
4.- Star players: Matt Ryan
This could be a tough blow to Ryan and Falcons fans, as the relationship between the two is super close.
However, with Ryan approaching 38 years of age and many teams looking for an experienced quarterback, it may be in the organization’s best interest to trade a quarterback for good picks in the upcoming draft to help restructure the team.
Even though the Falcons could contend in their division for at least a wild card spot, it seems difficult to put together a competitive team for 2022 and having Ryan in that position seems like a no-brainer, especially if he can be leveraged by moving him on the market.
In addition, switching to Ryan would save about $8 million this year and just over $28 million in 2023.
3.- Star players: Russell Wilson
The odds of Wilson leaving the Seattle Seahawks are very low, but there they stand.
The quarterback made a lot of noise prior to the 2021 season pushing the organization for pieces to help him on offense. Seattle did it half-heartedly, but promised him, after a very difficult campaign in the NFC West, that by 2022 things were going to get better.
The organization has said it wants Wilson to stay and Wilson has said he wants to stay, that he wants to be a Seahawk his whole life. However, the possibility is latent. Any impasse between the parties could create a short-circuit and there are several teams such as the Washington Commanders, New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers who are keeping an eye on any situation.
The Seahawks could also save $11 million in salary cap space by trading Wilson, and with a good amount of salary cap space available to add pieces, getting good picks in the upcoming drafts could be an option for a restructuring of the organization.
2.- Star players: Carson Wentz
Since his fine 2017 season with the Philadelphia Eagles Wentz has failed to respond as the centerpiece of a team’s offense again, even in his first campaign with the Indianapolis Colts.
The team came in with a 9-6 record with two weeks left in the campaign and fell out of the postseason. After the debacle, the team’s general manager did not commit to Wentz for 2022 and a team change seems all but inevitable.
Several organizations such as the Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers are in search of an experienced quarterback and Wentz could be a card for both, a risky card, but a card nonetheless. The Colts can pursue a QB in the draft and recoup something significant of what they sent to the Eagles for Wentz by trading him over the summer.
Letting him walk would open up $13.29 million in salary space, although the dead salary he would leave would be $15 million.
1.- Star Players: Jimmy Garoppolo
After losing in the NFC Championship Game to the Rams, Garoppolo and the 49ers’ relationship is not the best.
With one season remaining on his contract, several reports indicate that the quarterback has asked to put together a more competitive team or be traded. However, most teams that are in the hunt for an experienced quarterback would be a little hesitant to sign Garoppolo because of his inconsistency.
Of course, he is one of the best pieces that the quarterback market could offer and the stumbling block would be to see how much the 49ers are asking for the offensive lineman.
If he does not find a team that requires his services, San Francisco could cut him and save no less than $25.5 million in salary space. Dead salary? Nothing. Just $1.4 million.
