10. Cowboys guard Mackenzy Bernadeau
Bernadeau couldn't crack the lineup for a Panthers team that got average to below-average guard play last season. The Cowboys paid him to be a starter. While Bernadeau's $11 million over four years and $3.25 million signing bonus aren't overwhelming, Dallas projected him as an upgrade perhaps only because Bernadeau is young with perceived potential. When the 26-year-old made 12 spot starts in 2010, Pro Football Focus graded him as one of the worst guards in the league.
Bernadeau has youth on his side and will be tutored by one of the best line coaches in football in Bill Callahan. But is he any good? Two coaching staffs in Carolina didn't think so. Ron Rivera's unit let Bernadeau ride the pine, and John Fox benched him in October of the previous year. The blind faith in Bernadeau may also steer Dallas away from Stanford's David DeCastro in the draft.
Semifinalists: Alex Smith (three years, $24 million), Red Bryant (five years, $35 million), DeSean Jackson (five years, $51 million), Nate Livings (five years, $19 million), Brodrick Bunkley (five years, $25 million), Ronde Barber (one year, $3 million).
Also
6. Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garcon
Garcon became the NFL's ninth-highest paid receiver on March 13, when the Redskins handed him a five-year, $42.5 million blockbuster with $20.5M guaranteed. Seven of the eight players ahead of Garcon in the receiver-contract rankings have made the Pro Bowl (Santonio Holmes is the other outlier), and so have the three wideouts just behind Garcon in the top 12. In other words, Garcon has the contract of a decorated NFL receiver. He's just not a decorated NFL receiver.
Pro Bowl berths don't tell the whole story, of course, and the Skins are banking that Garcon has some in his future. He's only 25. Since Garcon cracked the starting lineup in 2009, however, he has been an inconsistent, inefficient receiver in whom Peyton Manning often showed distrust. Garcon's career-best 2011 campaign came during a year that saw Indy constantly play from behind. Continuing to lack consistency, Garcon racked up 421 of his 947 yards (44.5 percent) and all six of his TDs in three games. Two of them were against pass defenses that ranked in the NFL's bottom dozen. In the Colts' other 13 games, Garcon averaged under 41 yards per contest.
4. Jaguars wide receiver Laurent Robinson
Robinson's five-year, $32.5 million contract made him the league's 18th-highest paid receiver in annual average and 16th in guarantees per year. Robinson preyed on single coverage as the Dallas' third receiver last season while Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, and Miles Austin got the defensive attention. Prior to 2011, Robinson had never caught more than 37 balls or cleared 13 yards per catch across four years in the NFL. His previous career high in touchdowns was two.
GM Gene Smith would say otherwise, but the Jags seemed to operate with desperation in their Robinson pursuit. Dwayne Bowe, Wes Welker, and DeSean Jackson were all franchise tagged. Stevie Johnson, Vincent Jackson, Marques Colston, Robert Meachem, Pierre Garcon, and Reggie Wayne had all already signed. The Jags never wanted Brandon Lloyd or Mario Manningham, so they set their sights on Robinson and overpaid. Hopefully, Blaine Gabbert can get him the ball.
http://rotoworld.com/articles/nfl/40242/59/wow-now-thats-rich?pg=1
Bernadeau couldn't crack the lineup for a Panthers team that got average to below-average guard play last season. The Cowboys paid him to be a starter. While Bernadeau's $11 million over four years and $3.25 million signing bonus aren't overwhelming, Dallas projected him as an upgrade perhaps only because Bernadeau is young with perceived potential. When the 26-year-old made 12 spot starts in 2010, Pro Football Focus graded him as one of the worst guards in the league.
Bernadeau has youth on his side and will be tutored by one of the best line coaches in football in Bill Callahan. But is he any good? Two coaching staffs in Carolina didn't think so. Ron Rivera's unit let Bernadeau ride the pine, and John Fox benched him in October of the previous year. The blind faith in Bernadeau may also steer Dallas away from Stanford's David DeCastro in the draft.
Semifinalists: Alex Smith (three years, $24 million), Red Bryant (five years, $35 million), DeSean Jackson (five years, $51 million), Nate Livings (five years, $19 million), Brodrick Bunkley (five years, $25 million), Ronde Barber (one year, $3 million).
Also
6. Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garcon
Garcon became the NFL's ninth-highest paid receiver on March 13, when the Redskins handed him a five-year, $42.5 million blockbuster with $20.5M guaranteed. Seven of the eight players ahead of Garcon in the receiver-contract rankings have made the Pro Bowl (Santonio Holmes is the other outlier), and so have the three wideouts just behind Garcon in the top 12. In other words, Garcon has the contract of a decorated NFL receiver. He's just not a decorated NFL receiver.
Pro Bowl berths don't tell the whole story, of course, and the Skins are banking that Garcon has some in his future. He's only 25. Since Garcon cracked the starting lineup in 2009, however, he has been an inconsistent, inefficient receiver in whom Peyton Manning often showed distrust. Garcon's career-best 2011 campaign came during a year that saw Indy constantly play from behind. Continuing to lack consistency, Garcon racked up 421 of his 947 yards (44.5 percent) and all six of his TDs in three games. Two of them were against pass defenses that ranked in the NFL's bottom dozen. In the Colts' other 13 games, Garcon averaged under 41 yards per contest.
4. Jaguars wide receiver Laurent Robinson
Robinson's five-year, $32.5 million contract made him the league's 18th-highest paid receiver in annual average and 16th in guarantees per year. Robinson preyed on single coverage as the Dallas' third receiver last season while Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, and Miles Austin got the defensive attention. Prior to 2011, Robinson had never caught more than 37 balls or cleared 13 yards per catch across four years in the NFL. His previous career high in touchdowns was two.
GM Gene Smith would say otherwise, but the Jags seemed to operate with desperation in their Robinson pursuit. Dwayne Bowe, Wes Welker, and DeSean Jackson were all franchise tagged. Stevie Johnson, Vincent Jackson, Marques Colston, Robert Meachem, Pierre Garcon, and Reggie Wayne had all already signed. The Jags never wanted Brandon Lloyd or Mario Manningham, so they set their sights on Robinson and overpaid. Hopefully, Blaine Gabbert can get him the ball.
http://rotoworld.com/articles/nfl/40242/59/wow-now-thats-rich?pg=1
