In a piece recently published on ESPN.com (subscription required), Mike Tanier put together his ‘All-Value' team for the NFL and one Detroit Lions defensive player made the cut.
That player is DL Michael Brockers, who the Lions acquired during the offseason via a trade with the Los Angeles Rams.
Here is what Tanier has to say about Brockers and how his contract is great value for the Lions.
Contract: Three years, $24 million, $11 million guaranteed, expires after 2023 season
Lions coach Dan Campbell claims that Brockers is worthy to wield the hammer of Thor. That may be true, but rugged run-stuffing linemen earn far less than sack specialists, and the cap-crunched Rams couldn't afford to keep their Avengers together on defense. So Brockers will cost Campbell's Lions just $3.05 million in cap space this season on a contract backloaded with money he may never see.
Worse, Brockers doesn't even get to play for a likely contender in exchange for his relatively low salary. It's almost as if he let his mischievous brother Loki handle the negotiations.
As noted by Tanier, Brockers' cap hit is just $3.05 million in 2021 and his contract is backloaded with money he may never see from the Lions. Because of that, this could end up being one of the best value contracts in the NFL.
