NFL 2019: Tom Brady, Michael Bennett headline All-Bargain Team
By Randy Gurzi
Some teams avoid spending big money and find discount players, or maybe get hometown discounts. Players like this make up our 2019 NFL All-Bargain Team.
While some NFL teams head into free agency and back up the Brinks truck, others have found ways to score major bargains. Whether it’s getting players already on the roster to take hometown discounts or simple thrift shopping in free agency, there are plenty of steals in the league when it comes to contracts.
Here, we look at the players who are being paid less than they deserve as we build our 2019 NFL All-Bargain Team.
The one caveat is that we are purposely leaving players off this list who are still on rookie contracts since many of those are bound by certain CBA requirements.
Note: All contract numbers used are courtesy of OverTheCap.com
Special Teams: Greg Zuerlein (K), Los Angeles Rams, Ryan Allen (P), New England Patriots
Los Angeles Rams kicker Greg Zeurlein’s contract pays him $9 million over four seasons with $1.9 million guaranteed. That’s not a lot of money for a guy who can knock it in from more than 60-yards and was good on 95 percent of his tries in 2017 and 87.1 percent in 2018. Zuerlein continues to be one of the best in the NFL and gets none of the attention despite playing in Hollywood.
Punter Ryan Allen signed a three-year extension with the New England Patriots in 2015 which paid him $6.1 million with $3 million of which is fully guaranteed. He now enters 2019 with a cap hit of just $1.5 million. That’s a great deal for a guy who consistently punts the ball around 45 yards and hasn’t had one blocked since 2015.