And this is exhibit A for why it’s not always good to follow the crowd and do what’s always done. (Paying more just because a player is “next”.)
I think that contact will bite them in the ass.
Was Murray always considered a top QB during the season, especially since he seemed to disappear during the second halves of seasons?
Did Smith disappear once he got on the field during seasons?
Murray was never consistent enough to say that he deserved top QB money. Smith was consistent enough to say that he deserved top LB money. Now people are scared to pay him because he is going to be in a new system where it should be much easier for him to shine.
I understand that people like Haynesworth hurt their (new) team because he went from a 4-3 to a 3-4 where he was forced to do something that he hadn't done before and he failed, but the new position that he was forced to play was not a position to shine but rather a position to allow others to shine and he refused to do it.
Smith is being moved from a support position (ILBer in a 3-4) to a shine position in a Lovie-ish 4-3 scheme (Will).
My hot take is, if he is signs a new contract (who knows what happens motivation-wise if he is forced to play out his 5th year without a contract?), Smith will play at a top 5 level AND will outplay Leonard because:
1. Leonard is recovering from back surgery and it seems he will miss some time during the start of the season.
2. Leonard will move from the shine position of Will to the support position of Mike. His numbers will go down.
3. While Darius Leonard has shown Top LBer traits, Shaquille Leonard has never even had one tackle in the NFL.
Changing position and changing his name in one offseason while recovering from back surgery will allow Roquan Smith to rip the Top LBer Award away from Leonard's hands.
