Cards Re-sign Fitzgerald to 4 year, $40 Million Contract

Randy Moss wonders if he's really the best receiver in the NFL. . .

4 years, $40 million.  That's $10 million a year for you Liberal Arts majors out there, and apparently $30 million of that is guaranteed (for you NFL signing bonus/salary cap nerds out there).  So let's break that down: Fitz has been in the league for 4 years.  Based on his average output over those first 4 years, this new contract will pay him roughly $121,212 per reception,  $8,802  per yard, and a whopping $1,176,470 per touchdown grab.   That said, congratulations, Larry.

As you (should) know, some guy named Randy Moss just re-signed as well, and it wasn't exactly for a box of beads and mirrors.  Mr. Moss is reportedly getting $27 million over 3 years.  Applying, by analogy, the same rule we used for Fitz above, that works out to about $136,363 per reception, $8,849 per yard, and $796,460 per TD, per year, over the next 3 years.  That said, congratulations, Randy.

So what does this financial analysis mean?  Not much necessarily, but the raw data might.  Last year Moss hauled in 98 balls for 1,493 yards and a record breaking (sort of...) 24 touchdowns over 16 games.  Meanwhile, Fitz pulled in a relatively quiet 100 receptions for 1,409 yards and 10 scores in 15 outings.  One of these guys played for the Matt Leinart/Kurt Warner led Arizona Cardinals.  The other played for the Tom Bradyland Patriots, and that's all I'll say about that.

Over the last four seasons one of these wideouts has averaged 82.5 grabs, 1,136 yards and 8.5 TD's a year; the other, 62, 954, and 11.75 respectively.  This really isn't a "who's who?" mystery, but it does raise some questions.   Who made who up in Foxboro?  Who do you take on your team?  And, perhaps most importantly, should the Giants be glad that Larry Fitzgerald wasn't at the receiving end of Brady's desperation bomb at the end of the Super Bowl?