:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50043451/usa-today-9061952.0.jpg)
There is a severe disconnect between the cold world of analytics and the impact of a player can have on their team that doesn't show up on the stat sheet. There also is the reality that what you are paying for now is likely more along the lines of what a player did for you than what he is doing for you now.
Yet, with Larry Fitzgerald, there is almost an uncanny realization that he is worth his contract statistically and as the face of the Arizona Cardinals franchise. Add to that the years of service he has provided, and you could make an argument that his salary is almost to low.
Yet, according to Pro Football Focus, Larry Fitzgerald's contract is one of the worst in the NFL at the wide receiver position.
Fitzgerald's contract has been, and will continue to be, a burden on the Cardinals' cap situation. Even though he is not under contract for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, he will still account for $9.7 million in dead money those two years. With Arizona boasting young talent in Michael Floyd, John Brown, and J.J. Nelson on the outside, it appears as though 2016 will be Fitzgerald's last with the Cardinals. With only so many snaps to go around, it would make sense to ease Fitzgerald slightly from the rotation offensively moving forward. However, such an easement would leave an $11 million wide receiver on the bench. Will those financial pressures keep Fitzgerald on the field? If he continues to play like he did in 2015, will the Cardinals feel compelled to retain him beyond 2016 at a rate similar to this season's, even if that means fewer opportunities for his heir apparents?
There has been chatter lately about who the Arizona Cardinals should pay moving forward at the wide receiver position, yet there never seems to be any talk on Fitzgerald's contract. Most fans, in fact, would love to see Fitzgerald re-signed if the Arizona Cardinals do not win the Super Bowl in 2016, keeping the franchises best player since the move in tow as they continue to press towards a Super Bowl.
What do you think, is Fitzgerald overpaid? Is what Fitz provides both on the field and in the locker room and community enough to justify it, or is the idea of Fitzgerald being overpaid silly?