Worst Contract
February 18th, 2016
Sporting News cringes at Alterraun Verner’s contract.
Yes, as SiriusXM NFL Radio afternoon voice Pat Kirwan likes to say, there are seasons in the NFL.
Preseason, regular season, postseason and, currently, we are in the middle of the business season.
Teams look at their expenses and study who is worthy of being employed and who is not. So too does Sporting News.
In looking at each NFL team’s worst contract, the unnamed columnist refreshingly did not single out Vincent Jackson’s pact with the Bucs (which tells Joe whoever typed this actually watches games and pays attention to the Bucs. Imagine that: Real research!).
The columnist determined Alterraun Verner has the worst Bucs contract.
It looked like the Bucs were getting a bargain with Verner when they signed him in 2014, but as it turned out, there was a reason so many other teams passed on him in free agency despite Verner having five interceptions the year before. He has struggled in Tampa as part of an underwelming defense. He only started six games last season, which may already have been his last as a Buccaneer.
On paper, it is easy to connect the dots and see Verner getting released. However, it says a lot that not only has Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht stated Verner will be given new life, but the Bucs hired his former Titans position coach, Brett Maxie. Do the math.
It sure smells like the Bucs think Verner was misused by the previous coaching staff, or at least underutilized.
Verner has another year (2017) left under his contract, which pays him $6.75 million for 2016, per Rotoworld.com. Next year, he would earn just a hair less. So Joe’s confident stating if the Bucs don’t see improvement with Verner, then barring reworking his contract, he won’t play for Tampa Bay in 2017.
February 18th, 2016 at 11:15 am
I don’t think he’s going anywhere. And one of the things I do fault Lovie for is giving up on him and Banks so quickly.
There was a point when fans wanted to get rid of Logan Mankins last year…and he turned out to be an important cog on the oline. Point is, fans don’t know crap, including me.
February 18th, 2016 at 11:47 am
I like Verner, but he was very hard to watch last year…. And not much better the year before. He is without a doubt the number 1 must fix for this team next year, and I think a restructure is already warranted.
February 18th, 2016 at 11:51 am
I think the defense will be 6 to 8 spots better just with Lovie leaving the building. Adding the good coach smith and a couple more pieces to roster will be enough to be a .500 team and possibly higher if the injury bug doesn’t bite and some of the older vets have one more solid season in them meaning mankins and vjax… Lovie leaving the building improved the defense immensely do not underestimate that.
February 18th, 2016 at 12:10 pm
Verner may be overpaid based on how he has performed in 2 years with the Bucs – but outside of LD54 and Kwon – what Bucs defender has played up to expectations under the tutelage of Lovie’s coaches? (DBs especially).
Verner has talent -and even though he makes more than his play has warranted, we have plenty of $ and need to be hanging onto talent – not getting rid of it due to being deemed too expensive when $ is not a problem at all this year.
Re-sign Moore, bring back Verner (and Banks of course) and lets see if good coaching (and a decent pass rush) can make these guys shine.
Also draft a CB and bring one in from FA as insurance.
February 18th, 2016 at 12:38 pm
They have to renegotiate his deal. There is no way you pay a guy who has put up his performance the past two years almost 7 million for one year. If he is agreeable to cutting his salary, great, keep him. But if he would rather be a free agent you cut bait regardless of whether you think he can bounce back or not.
No NFL team will give the guy 5 million next year let alone 7. Let him “test the waters” if need be.
February 18th, 2016 at 1:01 pm
I think you need to keep Banks, Moore, and Verner until you really know what you have.
February 18th, 2016 at 1:09 pm
He has no guaranteed money left. If he’s our worst contract, then i say “mazel tov, Mike Greenberg!”
February 18th, 2016 at 2:32 pm
Joe, it’s hard to defend and intercept passes without a pass rush. Verner wasn’t good but not terrible and I think a lot of that was having to cover longer than necessary. Same with Doug Martin being injured and playing with a horrible oline and stacked boxes. Unfortunately Doug didn’t get the fifth year….but we can keep Verner and it looks like we will which is wise with his experience.
February 18th, 2016 at 2:37 pm
Verner’s biggest issue is the penalties he constantly gets. With Mike smith and an actual CB coach, I think he could turn it back around. He is a talented guy.
February 18th, 2016 at 3:08 pm
Good point!
February 18th, 2016 at 5:10 pm
Vernor had exactly TWO pass interference penalties all of last year. Starting only 6 games he had .5 sacks, 4 PDEF, 1 INT, and 1 FF. A PI penalty sometimes is better than giving up a TD.
February 18th, 2016 at 8:13 pm
Trubucfan22 Says
“Verner’s biggest issue is the penalties he constantly gets.”
He barely had any penalties.
February 18th, 2016 at 9:31 pm
No one is going to pay him what he is making. Make him take a pay cut then keep him around and earn his next contract. Personally I liked him in ’14 and last year was a waste – but from a business side you can force him into a new contract so do that.
February 19th, 2016 at 4:14 am
It is insanity to pay Verner $6,750,000, which makes him the 22nd highest paid CB in the league. PFF has him ranked 91st out of 111 CB’s. He was terrible in coverage. Release him and use that $ to bait and sign the best CB available in FA, like CB Sean Smith. “You need to keep Banks, Moore, and Verner until you really know what you have?” You can blame coaching and scheme all you want. If you don’t know after last year that Banks and Verner can’t cover, you will never know. We need a complete overhaul of our secondary if you want us to be competitive in the future and stop blaming the pass rush. We had 38 sacks last year.