Joe Flacco recently signed a six year, $120 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens. This deal makes him the highest paid quarterback in NFL history. At first glance, one would think this is a reasonable deal, as Flacco has led the Ravens to six straight playoff appearances, including a Super Bowl victory this season. However, I find it to be a bit premature and ridiculous to give him that much money.

I have always been against big contracts for professional athletes.  For example, Alex Rodriguez, who in 2007 signed a ten year, $275 million contract with the New York Yankees. Now, he is on the decline and not preforming as he once did, and the Yankees are locked into another four years with him. It always seems that when players sign huge contracts like this, their performance is not equal to the amount of money they are earning.  Although Joe Flacco is not one of my favorite players, it would still be a shame as a fan of the NFL to see his performance decline.

Regardless of the player, a deal like this should only be made after a few Super Bowl victories, at least.  Even though Flacco has been one of the better quarterbacks in the league throughout his career, I don’t believe he deserves this much money just yet. On top of that, when a franchise signs a player for this much money, they should be wary of the number of years they sign him for.

With so much money at stake, it would seem like an owner would be a bit more tentative with his money.  A player is just as likely to sign a two year deal for just as much money than a long term deal, to an extent. Why sign a player for $20 million a year for six years, when he could possibly turn into a bust? Even though I’m a fan of Flacco’s abilities, I still think this contract too much, too soon.