If you think $19 million is too much for Dalton, then you probably need to both watch more Dalton and look at the state of current starting QB contracts. You have to understand how contracts really work, especially when they are for 6 years.
Here is a list of all QB contracts:
Over the Cap- Top NFL Contracts: Quarterback
Dalton's contract puts him at the same APY as Kaepernick, $19 million per year. So he's got the 6th or 7th biggest QB contract in the league. If you look down the list, you'll see that most of the contracts expire within the next 2 years. Most of those contracts, if extended, will likely be higher in APY than Dalton's. In 2 years, Dalton will likely be the 13th or 14th highest paid QB as the market equalizes. There's a never-ending growth for NFL contracts, so Dalton's will look less and less like a top 10 contract and more and more like a top 20 contract over the next 2 years.
Now, Dalton has certainly played pretty well, overall. The only thing he really needs to fix are his interceptions, and that exactly the kind of help that Hue brings to the table. He knows how to play smart football, and how to get the most out of his players. It's very likely that Dalton is going to have a career year this season, and if we hadn't signed him to this contract, he would have come back looking for an extra $1-$3 million APY. If we make a deep run into the playoffs, he could potentially demand even more than that. Signing him to this contract is a smart financial move for the team as well as Dalton. It also allows the front office to stop worrying about retaining a franchise QB and focus solely on getting Burfict and Green inked to long-term deals. This just un-muddies the water for them.
I'd glad to have the deal done, and I'm happy with how Dalton handled the questions about the deal in the weeks leading up to today. He's shown a LOT of growth as a leader and a QB since the Charger's playoff game. Beware, boys. We could make a huge splash this year.
