The arrival of a $25 million per year quarterback came and went without much sticker shock from the rest of the NFL. But that also means the days of a $30 million per year quarterback aren't too far ahead.
Oregon Live theorized that Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota might be the first one to topple that number. With elite-in-the-making projections and timing on his side (Mariota would be a prime candidate for an extension before his club option season in 2019), it will be interesting to see if he can one day set the market.
Unsurprisingly, the reserved quarterback wasn't much for talking about his future earnings.
"For any athlete, anybody in professional sports, it's out of your control. I mean, you've got to play well, you've got to do certain things, things kind of have to line up for those contracts to happen. I can't think about next season or the season after that," Mariota told KHON-TV in Hawaii. "I've got to focus on our first game and continue to be the best guy that I can be for the team. If all those things happen and things go right and that contract is up, and you know, I'd love to be in Nashville and I think the Titans are such a great organization, that it would be a lot of fun to play for them for a long time."
With 2014 draft selection Derek Carr already landing a rich, long-term deal, it won't be long before we pivot our attention to Mariota and Jameis Winston, who went atop the draft in 2015. Established passers like Matthew Stafford will have the first crack at elevating monetary expectations in the QB marketplace but before long another year of rookie contracts will fall by the wayside.
It will be the one solace for the QB tandem. After watching pre-collective bargaining agreement quarterbacks cash in before the advent of the rookie salary structure, another year of solid play could jump them to the front of the line in average salary.
