NFL Player Performance: Do Contract Extensions Have an Effect?

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

As of late, many sports fans have questioned the motivating factors of professional athletes.  They have cited huge salaries as the primary culprit for why their idols have lost the passion and love for the game that the iconic sports figures of the past possessed so righteously. 

Fortunately, sports provide us with a unique opportunity to actually measure a player’s performance through statistics.  Thus, the question remains: Does a sports star’s success rise or fall after signing a massive contract extension? 

Three current NFL players will be dissected and analyzed to finally put to rest this age-old argument.

Let’s start with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback, Carson Palmer.  The former Heisman Trophy winner and longtime veteran signal-caller has been a model of consistency since he came into the league in 2003, earning himself two Pro Bowl selections so far in his career. 

On the other hand, Palmer has recently been plagued with more than a few injury-ravaged seasons.  In 2004, the former No. 1 draft pick started thirteen games, threw for 2,897 yards, had eighteen touchdowns, eighteen interceptions, and finished with a completion percentage of almost 61 percent. 

The following season, on December 29th, 2005, Palmer signed a six-year, $118.75 million contract extension through 2014.  Palmer’s 2005 campaign would bring relevance to a once-beleaguered and underachieving franchise, while also establishing himself as an elite NFL quarterback and fantasy football owner’s dream. 

Carson proved worthy of his gaudy contract by putting up some dazzling statistical numbers of his own, leading the league with 32 touchdown passes (a record at the time) and posting an unheard of, league-high completion percentage of 67.8.  The 2006 season would prove to be a stellar encore performance statistically, falling just short of Palmer’s career-best and record-breaking 2005 outing.
     
Next up, Ray Lewis, the tough-as-nails middle linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens.  Ray agreed to a five-year contract extension in August of 2002, which included a $19 million signing bonus.  Lewis' seven-year contract was worth approximately $50 million, making him one of the highest-paid defensive players in the NFL at the time. 

The subsequent season, after inking his new mega-deal, Lewis would go on to have far and away the best season in his career, punctuated by the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award (the second time he would receive it).  Lewis’ 2003 stat line read like this: 1.5 sacks, six interceptions, 161 total tackles and 120 solos, and one defensive touchdown. 

Those numbers would be superb for a safety, let alone a middle linebacker, a position that typically doesn’t allow for huge statistical numbers.  Following Lewis’ first contract extension with the Ravens, he would put together nothing short of a Hall of Fame career, garnering numerous accolades.

These include being selected to the Pro Bowl ten times, making the NFL’s first-team All-Pro selection six times, earning the Associated Press’ NFL Defensive Player of the Year award twice, winning Super Bowl XXXV and being named MVP of the game, and lastly, making The Sporting News’ Team of the

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?