Twelve games into the 2016 season, NFL teams are either feeling pretty good about the investments they made heading into 2016 or disappointed that the players they paid aren’t getting the job done.
The general manager of each team spends most of the offseason trying to figure out if a player deserves the amount of money they are asking for, whether a player deserves an extension or if a player doesn’t deserve to even remain on the team. But the ultimate test to see if they did a good job in making those decisions is three quarters of the way through the season.
For example, the Dallas Cowboys spend an average $2.7 million per player on their roster. That is the sixth highest average in the league. So far, it has paid off for the team as they are currently the best team in the league with an 11-1 record through 12 games. They are the only team thus far that are a lock for the playoffs. The Cleveland Browns, meanwhile, are spending an average of only $1.7 million, the lowest average in the league. They are currently the NFL’s worst team with zero wins this season and twelve straight losses.
However, that kind of trend doesn’t always go like that. The Philadelphia Eagles, for example, spend an average of $3.1 million per player, the most in the NFL. However, the Eagles have only 5 wins this season and are at the bottom of their division. Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions spend an average of $2.2 million, the fifth least in the league, and are currently on top of their division and a few wins away from getting a playoff berth. The Lions are getting a bargain on a great team while the Eagles are spending a fortune on a mediocre team.
Below is data from Spotrac that lists all 32 teams from the highest average amount spent on a player to the lowest average amount. Below that chart is the current win totals for all 32 teams from the NFL’s website, listed from most wins to least.
(Data via Spotrac as of December 6th, 2016)
Christopher Birsner's Journalism Blog 