Looking ahead: 10 best and worst contracts for 2021 February 12, 2021 Jonathan Taylor’s contract gives the Blitz tremendous cap flexibility moving forward. The value of a contract can have far-ranging effects on a franchise’s operating budget. If a contract is favorable, it can open up a wealth of options for that franchise to spend a little money on high-priced free agents. However, if a contract is deemed expensive, it can severely hamstring a team’s payroll and leave them grasping at straws. To put it another way, contract value can determine whether a franchise will be buying high-end merchandise at Nordstrom, or nosediving for bargains in the $5 bin at Walmart. The following is a look at the perceived best and worst contracts entering the 2021 season — or, at least, at present during the offseason. The Best Grading the best contracts of the future is a lot different than assessing ones from the past. With past contracts, there is concrete data on which to base your judgment. With future ones, there is far more subjective reasoning. The following contracts were judged among the best due to their low dollar amount paired with expected output projected by a variety of analysts in the field. 10. Robert Tonyan, TE/GB (Nagasaki Kamikazes) — $0.25 The Kamikazes had a wealth of talent in 2020, so Robert Tonyan didn’t see the field a whole lot. But at least they had a dependable backup tight end on a cheap deal. Tonyan enters the final year of his deal on the league minimum salary. With Travis Kelce still playing at the top of his game, Tonyan remains a strong backup option. 9. Deshaun Watson, QB/HOU (Ukraine Grainers) — $1.00 Watson signed a three-year, $3.00 million contract to remain with the Grainers last offseason, and then had his contract front-loaded. He is now under contract for the next two seasons at a bargain price of $1.00 million per season. Watson finished as a Top 3 quarterback in 2020 and his future remains bright, giving the Grainers a solid contract with which to work. 8. Darren Waller, TE/LV (Ukraine Grainers) — $0.25 Waller had arguably the best contract in the league last year, finishing as the second-best tight end in the league while playing at the league minimum. I wouldn’t expect much to change this year. He still should finish in the Top 5 at the position and he enters the final year of his 3-year, $0.25 million contract signed during the 2019 offseason. 7. Justin Herbert, QB/LAC (Russia Renegades) — $0.50 The Renegades found a gem in the third round of the 2020 Draft, selecting quarterback Justin Herbert with the 31st overall pick. Herbert finished as QB7 and led all rookies in scoring. He has three years left on his rookie deal, starting with just $0.50 million in 2021. Herbert and Lamar Jackson should have quite the quarterback battle this coming training camp. 6. Terry McLaurin, WR/WAS (San Juan Scorpions) — $0.75 McLaurin is making a bid for best value pick in MFFL’s draft history. Selected with the 35th pick in the 2019 MFFL Draft, McLaurin has had a great career so far. He had an admirable rookie season before breaking out and finishing as WR20 this past year. What will he have in store for his third season? He enters Year 3 of his rookie contract and is a clear bargain. 5. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB/KC (Bangkok Blitz) — $2.50 The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft did not have the kind of season Bangkok would have liked, but he still finished as RB18 and is only going to get better. The Blitz restructured his contract this offseason and he is slated to make $2.50 million in each of the next three seasons. That kind of long-term security at the running back position makes CEH a real bargain. 4. Justin Jefferson, WR/MIN (Russia Renegades) — $2.50 Selected ninth overall and the fourth receiver off the board in the 2020 MFFL Draft, Jefferson went on to prove a lot of people wrong. He exploded onto the scene in his rookie season, finishing as WR7. He has a bright future ahead of him, starting with Year 2 of his four-year deal at a cheap salary of $2.50 million. 3. Antonio Gibson, RB/WAS (Bangkok Blitz) — $1.00 The Blitz drafted five running backs in last year’s draft, but perhaps got their best value with Pick 22 when they selected Antonio Gibson. The rookie running back finished as RB15, surpassing three of the four running backs that Bangkok selected ahead of him. The Blitz restructured his contract and he’s scheduled to make $1.00 million in each of the next three seasons. 2. A.J. Brown, WR/TEN (Nagasaki Kamikazes) — $1.00 The Kamikazes acquired Brown last offseason and the second-year receiver went on to have an incredible season. He finished as the No. 14 receiver while averaging 21.4 points per game, all while playing most of the season hurt. The Kamikazes restructured his contract and Brown is now slated to make $1.00 million in each of the next two seasons. He’s knocking at the door of WR1 territory and is a real bargain. 1. Jonathan Taylor, RB/IND (Bangkok Blitz) — $2.25 Selected second overall in the 2020 MFFL Draft, and the second running back off the board, Taylor had an explosive rookie season. Taylor finished as RB6 and is only scratching the surface of how good he can be. With his contract restructured, Taylor has three years left on his rookie deal at $2.25 million. Taylor will likely be one of the most valuable MFFL assets throughout the duration of his contract. The Worst Grading the worst contracts is as difficult a proposition as assessing the good ones. You can use past performance as a guide, but only to a limited degree. You can also use a player’s price tag as an indicator, but the market value of each position will dramatically change when the league conducts its Auction. Thus, the following contracts are deemed among the worst at the present moment, due to a mixture of the aforementioned criteria. 10. Blake Jarwin, TE/DAL (Wake Island Wookiees) — $3.25 The Wookiees signed Jarwin to a 3-year, $3.25 million deal last offseason, just days after acquiring T.J. Hockenson via trade with Nagasaki. Hockenson — younger, cheaper and better — went on to have a great season, finishing as TE4. Jarwin, meanwhile, tore his ACL in the first game and missed the rest of the year. With Hockenson under contract for two more seasons on a cheap deal, Jarwin’s contract — currently the fourth-richest among tight ends — looks a bit bloated. 9. Zach Ertz, TE/PHI (San Juan Scorpions) — $4.25 Ertz has long been a staple of the Scorpions franchise, helping them win many games, including the 2018 Super Bowl, when he led the team with 35 points. That seems like so long ago. Ertz missed five games in the middle of the 2020 season, thus wasn’t available for a full year. But he struggled and never looked like the same guy. Ertz is 30 years old and there is some uncertainty about his future. He currently is the MFFL’s highest-paid tight end, but has a ways to go to get back to the top. 8. Sony Michel, RB/NE (Egypt Pharaohs) — $5.00 Michel was drafted 10th overall in the 2018 draft, but just hasn’t panned out. He’s had fair success, but has never lived up to his billing. Michel finished as RB62 last year while playing in just 9 games. He currently sits as the eleventh-highest paid running back, although that will change when franchise tags start rolling in. Michel’s final year isn’t guaranteed, so the contract isn’t as bad as it could be. 7. Darrell Henderson, RB/LAR (Switzerland Squirrels) — $5.25 Henderson is another player drafted highly who hasn’t panned out. Selected fifth overall in the 2019 draft, Henderson’s first two seasons have been less than spectacular. Henderson looks like a roll player at this point in his career, and with two years left on his rookie deal, his salary is only going to go up. Without being a starter, his money will draw resources away from fixing other holes. 6. Cooper Kupp, WR/LAR (Switzerland Squirrels) — $7.75 It wasn’t that long ago that Kupp was a WR1. With his explosive playmaking ability, he’s a threat to score anytime he touches the ball. But Kupp finished as WR26 last year and is due $7.75 million this year. He’s currently the sixth-highest paid receiver, before tags come in. He could rebound in 2021 with better quarterback play, but right now his salary is a stretch on the budget. 5. Tyler Boyd, WR/CIN (Turkey Jerky) — $8.50 Boyd was signed to a 3-year, $8.50 million deal in the 2019 auction and has since hopped two teams. Boyd commands a lot of targets and factors into the game plan, but his salary is a bit expensive for his production. He finished last year as the 29th-ranked receiver and is likely projected for a WR2-3 finish in 2021. He’s currently the fifth-highest paid receiver, prior to tags being placed. 4. Chris Godwin, WR/TB (Ukraine Grainers) — $12.75 What can we make of Chris Godwin? Is he a WR1? WR2? He finished in the Top 5 in 2019, but dropped all the way down to WR32 this past year. He did miss four games, to give him the benefit of the doubt. But even if you extrapolate his points-per-game total over the course of a season, he finished at WR15. He was one of the highest-paid receivers in 2020 and is likely to be among the highest again this year. 3. Kenny Golladay, WR/DET (Jamaica Jerks) — $13.00 Golladay was a bonafide WR1 in 2019 and earned himself a big payday this past offseason. The Jerks inked Golladay to a 3-year, $13 million deal and only got five games of production out of him, as he battled injuries all season. In the four healthy games Golladay did appear, he averaged 20.2 points per game, proving he’s still a top-notch receiver. But with a declining quarterback outlook, and currently being tied as the league’s highest-paid receiver, his contract is throbbing at the moment. 2. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR/PIT (Bangkok Blitz) — $13.00 Smith-Schuster signed a 3-year, $13.00 million deal in the 2020 Auction last offseason. He was coming off his worst season as a pro, but still got paid. Smith-Schuster rebounded and finished as WR16, which is still a long way away from meeting his salary with production. He’s currently tied as the league’s highest-paid receiver, before any tags have come in. His future is a little murky at the moment, so he has a lot to prove in order to justify his contract. 1. Todd Gurley, RB/ATL (Wake Island Wookiees) — $11.25 At present, Gurley is the league’s highest-paid running back. A number of free agents will receive tags, and those that don’t will surely get paid. But given his age, his injury history, and the fact that he finished as RB23 last year and doesn’t look to be going in the right direction, Gurley’s contract is a major financial black hole for the rebuilding Wookiees.