3-Wide: Does Luck deserve to be the NFL's highest-paid player?
3-Wide is a weekly feature in which theScore's NFL editors debate the hot topics around the league. Grab a cold towel and brace for hot takes.
Does Andrew Luck deserve to be the highest paid player in football?
David P. Woods: If NFL salaries were truly tied to each player's performance and value to his team, Luck would trail a number of more accomplished quarterbacks. But that's not how salaries work, and under the current system Luck absolutely deserves the mega-deal he's about to sign. It might sound like overpaying for a player with no Super Bowl appearances, but you pay players for what they'll do in the future, not what they did in the past. Besides, a strong case can be made that franchise quarterbacks of Luck's caliber are all severely underpaid. His deal could look like a bargain in only a few years.
Mitch Sanderson: Based on his performance? No. Based on the market? Yes. Luck hasn't done enough in his first four seasons to command the NFL's top contract, but neither did the man who has the NFL's top contract. Joe Flacco currently has that honor because he was the most recent elite-enough quarterback whose contract expired. By those measures, Luck is a shoe-in to be the highest-paid - but in terms of who actually deserves the money, Tom Brady, Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, and Ben Roethlisberger should all earn more than Luck.
Arun Srinivasan: At this juncture of his career, Luck certainly doesn't deserve to be the highest-paid player in the NFL. Luck is the face of the Colts franchise, but he's not a top five quarterback at the moment and is coming off an injury-ridden 2015 campaign. Giving Luck a gargantuan extension would also hinder a roster that doesn't possess much talent outside of the quarterback position. Luck should receive a long-term extension, but hasn't earned the distinction of being the NFL's highest-paid player.
Are the Broncos in danger of missing the playoffs?
Sanderson: What the Broncos lost in the offseason really isn't much when you compare it to what the rest of the division gained. Replacing Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler with Paxton Lynch and Mark Sanchez isn't as big a loss as it's been made out to be, but the losses to their disruptive defense will hurt. Given the improved rosters of the Raiders, Chargers, and Chiefs, plus the target that comes along with winning the Super Bowl, there's a strong chance the Broncos miss the 2016 postseason.
Srinivasan: Boasting the NFL's best defense, the defending champions aren't in danger of missing the playoffs. The Broncos will prove to be impenetrable for the second consecutive season, fending off legitimate challenges from the Raiders and Chiefs. A lot has been made of Manning's retirement, but the five-time MVP played at replacement level last season. Oakland may have won the offseason, but it's quite another thing to win during the regular season.
Woods: A lot has to go right in a run to a Super Bowl title, and the universe has a funny way of course-correcting. With the Broncos' personnel losses and a swing in luck, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the defending champions go the way of the 2008 Steelers, 2011 Giants, and 2012 Ravens as teams that followed a Lombardi Trophy by missing the playoffs.
Which athlete from another sport would be great at football?
Srinivasan: LeBron James is typically recognized as someone who'd be a great football player. Considering he was an all-state receiver in high school, it's not a stretch. However, I'd imagine Russell Westbrook becoming an All-Pro caliber wide receiver in another life. Westbrook's short-gap acceleration is unmatched in the NBA and at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, he possesses the frame to overwhelm defensive backs. A phenomenally explosive leaper with tremendous straight-line speed and vision, Westbrook's athletic ability and intelligence would translate very well to the NFL.
Woods: Mike Trout is a freak athlete who could make a scary free safety. We know his ball-tracking ability and range are top-notch, as is his high-end speed. It would be a lot of fun to see Trout use that 6-foot-2, 235-pound body to pick off passes and deliver big hits downfield rather than snagging fly balls.
Sanderson: UFC light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world and he's the brother of NFL defensive linemen Chandler and Arthur Jones. His unreal athleticism, powerful physique, and lightning-quick hands make him an ideal edge-rusher. He stands 6-foot-4 and can fluctuate his weight between 205 and 230 pounds, depending on scheme fit. With a little coaching from his brothers, "Bones" could become an unstoppable force off the edge.