# NFL 2023 Off-Season Thread
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2023-off-season-thread/979801
**Category:** The Game Room
**Tags:** football-nfl
**Created:** [February 14, 2023, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2023-off-season-thread/979801 "2023-02-14T21:26:32Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 16
### Author:  [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2023, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2023-off-season-thread/979801/301 "2023-04-17T22:54:51Z")
> [@Akaj](#):
>
> I wouldn’t expect that to last. Burrow’s up for a new deal in the next offseason, at which point KC will almost certainly top it with Mahomes.
I disagree.
As @Great_Antibob said, Mahomes took a team friendly contract at the time of signing, and he already agreed to a restructuring last year to clear cap space. Granted, some of the money was converted into a bonus (rather than salary), but I don’t think Mahomes is terribly interested in being the top-paid QB each year; I think he’d rather win more Super Bowls.
Yes, I know, I’m looking at this through my Chiefs red & gold-tinted glasses.
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### Author:  [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2023, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2023-off-season-thread/979801/302 "2023-04-18T00:01:19Z")
Well, let’s be honest - Mahomes is still interested in being paid well but he doesn’t seem to have the psychological need to have the absolute top QB salary every year.
QB contracts aren’t just about the money but also a reflection of how much the team values the player. In Mahomes’ case, I don’t think anybody in that building in Kansas City, or in a thousand mile radius even, questions how much he matters to the team.
He (or at least his agent) had to know he wouldn’t have the biggest contract for long, much less for all of 10 years. But it was team friendly and with lots of ways to shift money around to provide cap flexibility - they just re-worked some of his bonus money just last month to create almost $10M in cap space. KC knows who puts bread on their table, and I have absolutely no doubt they’ll make sure Mahomes feels like he’s been taken care of - both financially and by having the right pieces around him.
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### Author:  [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2023, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2023-off-season-thread/979801/303 "2023-04-18T01:53:28Z")
Reminiscent of Tom Brady’s cap-friendly contracts in New England.
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### Author:  [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2023, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2023-off-season-thread/979801/304 "2023-04-18T14:41:40Z")
Not sure if this include the recent restructure, but Mahomes will have the highest cap hit this year. He was #2 last year
> **[NFL Rankings](https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/rankings/cap-hit//)**
>
> Listing the top salaries, cap-hits, contracts, bonuses, and more for all active NFL players.
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### Author:  [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2023, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2023-off-season-thread/979801/305 "2023-04-18T15:07:02Z")
That’s including the restructuring. He would have counted just over $49M against the cap this year otherwise. That’s how KC saved almost $10M. He’s got similar $45M+ numbers in future seasons but salary cap increases plus more restructuring can help the team out.
But the biggest one had been Watson at over $50 million until they also restructured. He’s got a cap hit of over $60M in future seasons but you know they’re going to look at that after the coming season.
The better teams of course know all this when they set up these mega-contracts in the first place.
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### Author:  [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2023, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2023-off-season-thread/979801/306 "2023-04-18T15:08:26Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#):
>
> Mahomes is still interested in being paid well but he doesn’t seem to have the psychological need to have the absolute top QB salary every year.
> [@EllisDee](#):
>
> Reminiscent of Tom Brady’s cap-friendly contracts in New England.
And how did that work out for Brady? 🤔
Mahomes understands that he can be the next Brady. He’s already made KC a perpetual threat to win the Super Bowl every year, and knows he has GOAT potential. He’ll be a near-billionaire one way or the other, so his priority is winning rings. Respect.
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2023, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2023-off-season-thread/979801/307 "2023-04-18T15:13:23Z")
> [@Akaj](#):
>
> And how did that work out for Brady? 🤔
Pretty well, for a long time, until the end of his time with the Patriots, and moving over to the Bucs.
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### Author:  [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2023, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2023-off-season-thread/979801/308 "2023-04-18T15:15:18Z")
I’ve been looking into Mahomes contract, and it’s really a piece of work.
They can potentially restructure every season for the next 5 years to free up cap space. And then they’ll need to take a decent sized hit in 2028 (!) on his contract. But if they decide not to restructure and take a hit in a given season before that (maybe a rebuild year or they have a lot of young players), they’ll have him on the relative cheap for the duration.
Of course, that also relies on Mahomes not rocking the boat too hard - if he keeps playing at this level, he certainly will merit and probably get an actual contract extension or boost. But in the meantime, the team gets millions of dollars of additional flexibility each year to build a team around him and a perennial Super Bowl threat.
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### Author:  [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2023, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2023-off-season-thread/979801/309 "2023-04-18T15:16:22Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#):
>
> > [@Akaj](#):
> >
> > And how did that work out for Brady? 🤔
>
> Pretty well, for a long time, until the end of his time with the Patriots, and moving over to the Bucs.
I know. I was being facetious. 😜
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### Author:  [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2023, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2023-off-season-thread/979801/310 "2023-04-18T15:59:02Z")
Damar Hamlin is preparing to return to football after going into cardiac arrest during a Week 17 game.
> **[Bills' Damar Hamlin Cleared to Resume All Activities After Cardiac Arrest in...](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10072805-bills-damar-hamlin-cleared-to-resume-all-activities-after-cardiac-arrest-in-january)**
>
> Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has been cleared to resume all football activities after receiving medical clearance from three different specialists,…
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### Author:  [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2023, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2023-off-season-thread/979801/311 "2023-04-18T16:05:11Z")
> [@Akaj](#):
>
> And how did that work out for Brady? 🤔
Brady who?
Was there some kind of famous football guy named Brady? First or last name?
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### Author:  [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2023, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2023-off-season-thread/979801/312 "2023-04-18T16:07:35Z")
Yeah, Brady Quinn, QB for the Browns.
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### Author:  [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2023, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2023-off-season-thread/979801/313 "2023-04-18T16:11:39Z")
Oh, okay, now I’m following the conversation. Thanks. Those Browns quarterbacks have always been the best.
Good to hear about Hamlin. He made a special appearance on the Fox program _Masked Singer_ (not as a contestant, just as a guest with his family) and if he’s considering a return to football his recovery must have gone really well. I expect what happened on the field was a one-in-a-billion fluke, probably not even related to any sort of underlying medical condition, just something that could potentially happen to anyone under the right (or wrong) circumstances, and he might not be at any greater risk going forward.
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### Author:  [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2023, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2023-off-season-thread/979801/314 "2023-04-18T16:15:07Z")
> [@Atamasama](#):
>
> I expect what happened on the field was a one-in-a-billion fluke, probably not even related to any sort of underlying medical condition, just something that could potentially happen to anyone under the right (or wrong) circumstances, and he might not be at any greater risk going forward.
It would have to be, or there’s no way the Bills or the NFL (or their insurance companies) would let him back on the field.
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### Author:  [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2023, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2023-off-season-thread/979801/315 "2023-04-18T16:17:16Z")
The Bills are at the Bengals again this year. I could see that being the opening Sunday Night Football
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### Author:  [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2023, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2023-off-season-thread/979801/316 "2023-04-18T16:22:11Z")
I’ll have trouble watching Hamlin on the field, much like I had trouble watching Teddy Bruschi on the field after he had a stroke.
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### Author:  [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2023, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2023-off-season-thread/979801/317 "2023-04-18T17:00:33Z")
I don’t know how you go for a hard tackle with that in the back of your mind, no matter how much you rationally convince yourself that the last time was a crazy fluke.
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### Author:  [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2023, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2023-off-season-thread/979801/318 "2023-04-18T17:21:48Z")
Isn’t proper form to keep your head up and arms out to wrap them up? Effectively leading with your sternum/heart? If it were me I’d be gunshy, but then again I’m not an elite athlete who devoted my entire life to the sport.
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### Author:  [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)
#### Post date: [April 18, 2023, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2023-off-season-thread/979801/319 "2023-04-18T19:03:15Z")
> [@EllisDee](#):
>
> Isn’t proper form to keep your head up and arms out to wrap them up?
IANAFC, but I believe the ideal form is to lower your shoulder and drive your upper body (head up) into the ball carrier’s midsection. Upright with your chest exposed isn’t ideal but in tight spaces, as where Hamlin’s injury occurred, it’s often the best you can do.
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### Author:  [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2023, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2023-off-season-thread/979801/320 "2023-04-20T00:42:52Z")
[Tua Tagovailoa says he mulled retiring, learned how to fall](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/36235862/tua-tagovailoa-says-mulled-retiring-learned-how-fall)
You know when I was growing up in the 80s my parents didn’t believe in organized sports, but all of my same-age friends whose parents did tell me that the _very first thing_ they were ever taught in pee-wee football was “how to fall.”
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