PhillySportsJunkie.com

In the wake of the impressive signing bonus and salary the Philadelphia Eagles awarded Asante Samuel, Philly.com released an article by David Katz on the future implications of the contract.

Without a doubt it is worth a read for providing an educated view from an angle the fan does not necessarily consider.  The article can be viewed here:  http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20080305_Free-agency_splurge_could_throw_Eagles_for_a_loss.html

However, PhillySportsJunkie feels two important points must be made.

Regardless of how teams ’should’ structure contracts (i.e. shifting large signing bonuses to greater yearly guarantees), the market is dictated by the status quo.  Being that Asante Samuel had the ability to command a $20 million signing bonus, if the Eagles chose to withhold that in favor of spread out guarantees, chances are Samuel signs elsewhere.

The second point is that any Super Bowl contending team requires exceptional and experienced skill players.  These skill players are in low supply and high demand.  Acquiring one or more of their services necessitates offering lucrative and less than ideal contracts.

In an ideal world a team would be able to draft a team full of talent that ascended to Pro Bowl level while under their rookie contracts.  More realistically a team must employ savvy drafting while also solidifying their drafted core with free agent talent.