2020 NFL contracts make LA Rams GM Les Snead’s deals bargains

Tight end Higbee

When the LA Rams signed tight end Tyler Higbee to a new four-year $31 million contract extension on September 5, 2019, the team propelled him into the Top-10 of NFL tight ends in terms of salary.  Propelled, because he had not yet established himself and a bona fide threat as a pass receiver. Still, the team had faith because the trends were positive.

He dramatically improved his catch ratio compared to the number of times he was targetted.  By 2018, he was up to a 70.6 percent catch rate. All that remained was to up the number of targets. Of course, his teammate Gerald Everett had been getting more looks and was a more consistent 60 percent catch rate.  So in perspective, the Rams paid Higbee as a Top-10 tight end, but didn’t even feature him as their TE1?  But wait, it gets better from here.

Happy Holidays, Higbee!

From September through November, the Rams saw the same historic performance from Tyler Higbee.  He was catching the ball, but the limited number of opportunities projected him to another 300-yard season.  So much for bargains, right? Well, December 2019 changed everything. In that single month, he tripled his receiving yards to 734 for the season. His December burst placed his 2019 performance ahead of Jared Cook, Hunter Henry, Dallas Goedert, and even Greg Olsen.

Suddenly the Top-10 salary was the right price for Higbee’s services.  And with the tight end market exceeding $15 million per year, the cost of Higbee at $9 million per season is becoming more and more bargain-priced. And the sudden high-market price that tight ends now enjoy was set, in part, on the Rams’ deal with Higbee in 2019.  Now, what about the non-quarterback market setters for defensive linemen?