A normal thought in the world is that expensive things bring the most quality. The higher the value, the more to expect. However, the NFL is not always aligned with this thought. See, teams overreact, overpay, overpromise, and, many times, underdeliver. That’s how we get to this point. Recently, the list of highest-paid attacking cores in the league was revealed. Out of the top 5 most expensive offenses in the NFL, you can argue not many should be there. Let’s dive into it, shall we?
The Top 5 Is Underwhelming
Most expensive #NFL offenses in 2024:
1) #Browns – $188.8M
2) #Rams – $178.1M
3) #Cowboys – $158.3M
4) #Chiefs – $152.8M
5) #Broncos – $151.1M
6) #Giants – $148.5M
7) #Cardinals – $146.5M
8) #Falcons – $141.6M
9) #49ers – $138.5M
10) #Colts – $135.9M
11) #Panthers – $135.2M
12)… pic.twitter.com/TH4eYRNHmC— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 22, 2024
You’d expect an absolute elite production if you have a top 5 paid offense. However, as you can see on the list, it’s not always the case.
In fact, you could argue most of them are quite underwhelming, even the ones that have some sort of success. Most of them have a bad QB contract situation that ties up plenty of the budget, but still, the amount of overpaying they do makes no sense.
1. Cleveland Browns – $188.8 million
Topping our list of the 5 most expensive offenses in the NFL, the Browns! Now, depending on how you see it, the Browns are not in such a bad situation. Yes, the Deshaun Watson contract is bad, very bad. Nick Chubb’s $15 million contract also is not great, considering Chubb’s gruesome injury. But then, you can see a lot of depth in their roster, and the only expensive player after that is Amari Cooper at $23.7 million. The offensive line is one of the most expensive ones as well, but that’s an elite unit, so it’s well worth it. You can see some bargains like Jerry Jeudy at a low cost in 2024. It’ll go up when the extension hits, but for now, it’s not much.
Cleveland’s offense ranked 16th overall last season. They had to deal with lots of injuries and QB madness, so you’d expect a big leap this year with all the reinforcements and 2-time COTY Kevin Stefanski calling plays.
2. Los Angeles Rams – $178.1 million
Matthew Stafford alone gets almost $50 million of the hit here. However, Cooper Kupp is paid $29.78 million, and his production last year was really below par. After a monstrous 2021, Kupp’s output has been declining, and his health has been a concern.
Not the only bad problems for the Rams, though. Most of the money left is spent on the offensive line, and it barely ranked 12th on last season’s rankings. Fortunately for them, their most productive duo, RB Kyren Williams and WR Puka Nacua are as cheap as they can be.
Both rookies enter their second year with a combined cap of $2.038 million. Between both of them, they racked 2,630 yards and 21 TDs. Unlike the Browns, the Rams were at least a top-10 offense, ranking 7th overall last season and with bright stars that will look even better in seasons to come.
3. Dallas Cowboys – $158.3 million
When you see a 158.3 in the NFL world, it’s usually a great thing. That’s the best QB rating possible. But in this case, you have the Cowboys, who are not in a good spot. And this doesn’t mean their offense is bad. Actually, Dallas had the 5th best overall offense in 2023.
The problem, though, is that this offense hasn’t been enough. When it comes to the playoffs, which is what the Dallas Cowboys play for, the offense always disappoints. What makes it more painful is the one who is under the scope is Dak Prescott, the highest-paid player on the team. Their regular season is always stellar to crumble under the bright lights of the playoffs.
4. Kansas City Chiefs – $152.8 million
The Chiefs, from an eye perspective, would be in a terrible spot. They have near to no major talent in the offense besides Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. To paint a worst picture, their third biggest cap hit is OT Jawaan Taylor, who was the most penalized player in the league! They also ranked first in dropped pases. How on Earth can this be one of the top 5 most expensive offenses in the NFL?
Well, it really doesn’t matter that much since they won the Super Bowl and started flat-out balling when the playoffs began (the Cowboys would give everything for this). The fact that they were 9th in yards/game is thanks to Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid’s genius play designs. No matter what they do, they’ll be in the mix regardless of how much they pay for their roster. We also have to see how much they pay Taylor Swift, who is a key component of their offense, right?
5. Denver Broncos – $151.1 million
This is flat-out hilarious. $53 million out of those $151.1 million are for a player who is not even on the team. That money will go to Russell Wilson, who now plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Last year, the Broncos were the 7th worst offense in the league, and you could argue this year, they look even worse. I can’t say much that will lift their fans to a mile-high morale, but I could actually point to the facts that made them rock bottom.
The roster is not good. Their offensive line ranked 17th, they have QB Jarrett Stidham as the starter in their depth chart, their only good receiver is a 29-year-old Courtland Sutton, who has 4 years without surpassing 829 yds. They have little to no talent and are overpaying like crazy. How will they recover from being one of the top 5 most expensive offenses in the NFL but one of the worst in the league? God knows; I just know this has been a front-office malpractice that’s been going on for years.
About the Author
Bruno is a sports junkie. Pick a sport, and he’ll enjoy debating or reminiscing about it for hours! From football to combat sports and literally everything in between, he’s your sports pal! You can follow Bruno on X.com @_BrunoMilano to enjoy all of his great content. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel, where we do lots of shows daily to keep you entertained.
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