The deadline for NFL franchise tagged players to sign extensions was Monday, July 15th, and early morning reports were pessimistic about negotiations between the Atlanta Falcons and stud defensive tackle Grady Jarrett (pronounced Jurr-it). But things change quickly when deadlines near; a few hours after initial reports of doom and gloom, updates surfaced of progress from both sides. Jarrett and the Falcons reached a four-year deal for a total of $68 million dollars ($17 million/year) with $42.5 million guaranteed less than an hour later. Because the NFL is both highly competitive and highly regulated from a financial standpoint (being a salary-capped league), the recipe for winning involves obtaining/retaining good players while also maximizing value. With this in mind, it’s worth looking at other high end defensive tackle contracts in recent years. This isn’t an exact science for “value” (as the NFL can under or over- value specific positions financially), but it marks an outstanding barometer for the going rate of a premier defensive tackle.
The major factors to consider include the player’s age at the start of the contract, the length of the contract, the total money, and the guaranteed money. Of course, the quality of the player is important in the evaluation as well. NFL fans, general managers, coaches, and analytical staff all agree that Aaron Donald remains in a class of his own, and his contract clearly demonstrates this.There exists little in life more unfair than comparing ANY interior defensive linemen to Aaron Donald at this point in time.
Comparing Jarrett to Kawann Short, Geno Atkins, and Jurrell Casey demonstrates that the Jarrett deal is likely better than average market value for the Falcons. While good players in their own right, none project as highly as Jarrett in 2019, but their annual salaries and guaranteed money are only minimally less than Jarrett’s. Signing the better player to a similar yearly cost in a higher salary capped year represents a big win in comparison to the market. This may not seem like a big deal, but top tier talent generally costs a premium, and players sign record-setting contracts at various positions seemingly every year.
Fletcher Cox would occupy a class of his own in many decades if it weren’t for that pesky Aaron Donald, and his contract also reflects that consensus status. Grady Jarrett may end up with a career of similar quality to Fletcher Cox (of course, he also may not), and ratings by Pro Football Focus show that Jarrett’s play is already of a nearly identical quality to that of Fletcher Cox. Comparing their two contracts comes out favorably for the Falcons, as Jarrett’s contract is two years shorter (with Jarrett starting at one year older) and leaves the Falcons less likely to pay enormous money to an over-30 player. The nature of a shorter deal for Jarrett results in significantly lower guaranteed money ($42.5 million for Jarrett's four year deal and $63.5 million for Cox's six year deal), another point in favor of the Falcons. Additionally, Jarrett’s 2019 contract represents 9.0% of the $188.2 million 2019 salary cap, while Cox’s 2016 contract occupied 10.9% of the $155.27 million 2016 salary cap (10.9% of the current salary cap is $20.5 million).
NFL media members expected Jarrett and his agent to aim for the $20 to $22 million/year range, coming in slightly under Aaron Donald but re-setting the bar for the “non-Aaron Donald” defensive tackle contract division. The starting point for the Falcons likely hovered around the $15 to $17 million/year, mirroring the other top defensive tackle contracts. Somewhat surprisingly these negotiations resulted in Monday's $17 million/year a contract.
Ultimately, the Falcons signed a premier defensive lineman at a slight bargain, which rarely happens for top end players in the prime of their career.
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