NFL
NFL injured quarterbacks worth $222 million out of action
Although the NFL does everything in its power to take care of the health of its quarterbacks, several of the most recognized names in the game end up in the sick bay.
Each season, the National Football League does everything in its power at that time to try to take care of the health of its quarterbacks, the most prized position in the game and the most difficult to replace.
However, despite the new rules that punish helmet use and other measures, this season is being characterized by losing some of the most recognized men who take the ball under the center, causing an epidemic of injuries rarely seen in the course of history.
Nightmare debut
From the first weekend of action, the bad news hit a new low. Aaron Rodgers, multiple MVP award winner and one of the most recognizable faces in the NFL, suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in his first game for the New York Jets. Under the lights of the iconic Monday Night Football, Jets fans watched their postseason chances plummet when Rodgers couldn’t get back on his feet.
The trend continued and worsened last Thursday when Joe Burrow left the game in the second quarter against the Ravens. Burrow was not able to hold the ball and after a few minutes in the locker room, he was ruled out for the rest of the game. The next morning, reporters who cover the day-to-day life of the Cincinnati Bengals reported that coach Zach Taylor declared that Joe Burrow would not play football again this year due to a wrist injury. A few days earlier, an MRI scan determined that Deshaun Watson had fractured his shoulder and will need surgery to repair the damage.
So far six quarterbacks who started the season as starters are out for the rest of the season.
| Name | Equipment | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Joe Burrow | Cincinnati Bengals | Wrist |
| Deshaun Watson | Cleveland Browns | Shoulder |
| Kirk Cousins | Minnesota Vikings | Achilles tendon |
| Daniel Jones | NY Giants | Knee |
| Anthony Richardson | Indianapolis Colts | Shoulder |
| Aaron Rodgers | New York Jets | Achilles tendon |
The most valued position
Both Rodgers and Burrow are part of the group of the NFL’s highest paid players. Burrow achieved a five-year contract extension in exchange for $275 million. The contracts of these two men only reflect that their position is the most valued within the industry. Having an elite quarterback can cost an organization an average of $50 million per season.
That has allowed the base value of most contracts to easily exceed $100 million.
Until this season, 17 quarterbacks have deals of $100 million or more. Joe Burrow got the Bengals to pay him $55 million for the current campaign. According to data compiled by Spotrac, the 32 NFL teams spent a combined total of $313 million this year to fill the quarterback position.
How much money have teams spent on quarterbacks who are currently out injured?
We already reviewed the quarterbacks who have been ruled out for the rest of the season, a list that Geno Smith could join. Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll cannot guarantee that he will be available for the Thanksgiving game against the San Francisco 49ers.
With Aaron Rodgers, Daniel Jones, Deshaun Watson and Joe Burrow, four of the highest paid men in the NFL, right now the teams, there are players valued at a total of $222 million dollars that will no longer be able to perform out on the field of play this season.