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In the NFL, 32 teams grind it out over 17 games a year, all in order to make it to the playoffs. Once there, the best of the best will fight it out to make it to the championship game and take home the prize that all teams covet.
That prize is a Super Bowl win and the chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy among a torrent of confetti in the team’s colors. Or is it?
NFL analyst and podcast host Austin Gayle brought a shocking new theory to the Mina Kimes Podcast in a recent interview.
“What are owners and GMs actually incentivized to do? Is it winning a Super Bowl? And sometimes you look back and you say, 'Wait a second, all I have to do if I'm Mickey Loomis, all I have to do if I'm ownership is maintain relevance'. And the Saints have done that to a tee and they've hit on some of these trade ups. Right."
Gayle went on to talk about the strategy of New Orleans Saints in the NFL Draft and what it means.
"Marcus Davenport is a fine player, a really good player, they trade up for Troutman, like they're doing a good job, not tanking. And when you tank is when people lose jobs, and when you tank is when things go bad. Think about sometimes right? GM’s and owners, what are the actual expectations? Is it to build a Super Bowl competitive team? Or is it to avoid a five, six win season? Because I think that's what the Saints are doing.”
It’s an interesting theory. Football teams have cut or traded players to save money for years. After paying Aaron Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers weren’t going to give a massive new deal to Davante Adams.
It’s the same with AJ Brown and the Tennessee Titans. Some team owners and general managers seem content on average seasons and comparably low contracts, as long as they put bodies in the seats.
NFL and pro franchises in other sports seem content with mediocre play
This style of ownership isn’t exclusive to the NFL. Teams in other sports, like the Indiana Pacers (NBA) and Cincinnati Reds (MLB), have done the same thing for years. Trading away superstar players for peanuts in order to avoid paying out the money coming to them.
This is a horrendous affront to the fans who support these franchises. It’s those owners and GMs in NFL who are willing to pay for superstar athletes that will continue to win championships.
