The truth about free agency

[Hoofhearted]

Mack was a massive FA deal that transformed that Bears defense. Cooks was another good signing. So not every big signing is a waste, but most are cut due for a myriad of reasons. If you look at the way they structure contracts, I actually expect a majority of players to be cut before their contract is up. Dee Ford signed a huge contract and can be cut after two years with a 4.8 million dollar dead cap hit and save almost 50 million dollars. Also have to take into consideration that teams also benefit from grossly underpaying players on their rookie deals. So it usually balances itself out. But producing at a 15 mil dollar a year level (ELITE!) is very, very hard since you're talking about challenging the 1% and not the 99%. You pay for the elite years and cut after they start dropping off and not a second after since you can get a rookie to fill that spot with far less money and similar production.