B.J. Raji Got Paid More Than Letroy Guion Because…
If I were Letroy Guion, I would be pissed.
Sure, the Green Bay Packers re-signed Guion on Monday, handing him an underwhelming one-year, $2.5 million deal. Then they went out and re-signed B.J. Raji.
Raji also got a one-year deal. But surely Raji’s deal would be for less than Guion’s. Not only did Raji not play a down in 2014, but his last full season wasn’t anywhere near as good as Guion’s 2014 campaign.
Right?
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight?
Of course not.
Somewhere, in Ted Thompson’s logic, Raji is worth more than Guion. Raji’s one-year deal is worth $3.5 million and could reportedly increase to $4 million with incentives.
Now, that’s not a huge difference in NFL contract terms. It’s $1 million with the potential to be $1.5 million.
Still, Guion certainly has a complaint if he wants to make one.
He’s coming off a career year, one where he had 32 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
Raji, as we mentioned, was injured all of 2014. In 2013, he was garbage, turning in 17 tackles and no sacks. In fact, Raji has surpassed Guion’s 2014 total of 32 tackles only once in his career. It was back in 2010, when he had 39 tackles.
That was also the only year Raji surpassed Guion’s 2014 sack total. Raji had 6.5 sacks that season.
As it stands, Raji hasn’t recorded a sack since 2011.
You read that right.
Yet he is somehow worth more to the Packers than Guion.
How could this possibly be?
Well, plenty of people will surely point to Guion’s arrest earlier this offseason. We really don’t see how that affects anything though. Guion made a deal and won’t be doing any time. He’ll probably get suspended by the NFL, but the Packers won’t have to pay his salary while he’s out.
So the reality is, the Packers paid more money for a guy who’s last and only good season was five years ago and less money for the guy who appears to be entering his prime.
The only discernible difference between these two guys, other than performance, is that Raji carries the distinction of being a former first-round pick. He also carries the distinction of having been drafted by Ted Thompson.
And as we’ve seen with guys like A.J. Hawk, Ted Thompson really loves guys he drafted. Sometimes blindly so.
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I think it’s because Ted really likes Raji’s dance routine. The hip swivel is repulsive and yet weirdly fascinating at the same time. But Ted should factor in how many times he will actually get to see Raji dance. Since said dance is only performed after a significant play, Raji may be at risk of being unable to perform it. Think about it Ted.
No, I’m afraid the arrest DOES make all the difference.
It’s obvious.
The fact that Guion settled with another prove-it deal is convincing evidence that there wasn’t anything better out there. No one was willing to offer a multi-year deal or Guion would have been gone. And why wouldn’t they? The arrest. Period.
Typically, driving around with a pound of pot is not a one-off thing. GMs were weary and stayed away. Guion cost himself millions with that arrest, unless he has another great season and gets most of it back.
If Raji was worth $4 million last season, it seems logical that he may be worth $3.5 million this season, after not playing a damn down last year.
Everyone who piled on TT for slow-playing these guys can admit they were wrong and TT was right. Its OK. In the end, TT was right about these guys’ value and got them for cheap. Good work.
TT got them for cheap? What other teams were vying for Raji’s services? This year or last year. Maybe i’m missing something.
Signing for the veterans minimum is getting them cheap. 3.5 mill with an escalator to 4 mill isn’t cheap. Maybe it’s cheap if you’re considering that Raji was offered a multi year deal for 8 mill/year. But that thinking is flawed and if Raji would have actually accepted that deal, it might have been regarded as TT’s worst signing because Raji has done nothing in years to remotely justify 8 mill/year.
Are you suggesting that TT wouldn’t have signed Raji for the vet minimum if he could have?
Yeah, I don’t think so.
It is up to the agent to publicize who is interested, if he wants to. Raji’s agent keeping interest between him and the Packers doesn’t mean there was none.
Nor does it mean there was any interest by other teams. The silence of inactivity the last 2 free agent periods concerning Raji by other teams, tells me there wasn’t any.
I wasn’t suggesting anything. I was telling you 3.5 – 4 mill/year isn’t cheap, for a guy who hasn’t produced in years.
I agree, on its face, it seems more than Raji should be worth. Apparently, the market says otherwise. Unlike you, I don’t believe TT just decided to give Raji that because he likes his smile.
4 people are happy about the amount Raji signed for.
1) Raji
2) Raji’s agent
3) You
4) Golden Corral buffet in Green Bay
What I like is that both guys have something to prove. Guion can be pissed all he wants that Raji got the better deal. Raji can show teams he’s not only healthy, but not a waste of space.
Forget about the other teams, Raji has to prove to the Packers that he’s not a waste of space
You think our team is run that poorly? That they’d give $3.5M to a guy they thought was a waste of space…
Boo Hoo… Guion F’d himself.
He was going to get a boatload more than Raji on a long term deal. But now, instead of millions of dollars he gets to be tested 10 times a year for weed.
Dumb ass.
How dumb do you have to be to have a large bag of weed on you in the middle of contract negotiations.
As Raji… He’s also dumb ass for turning down a 8mil a year contract when the Packers offered it to him two years ago. Whatever…its a one year deal. They still have 16 mill in cap space.
I personally think that Raji is going to kill it this year.
Raji still has huge potential that we are waiting to see. He was one of the best players in last years camp, then tore his biceps. Guion was a huge surprise last year and definitely earned a higher number than Raji. However any kind of run-in with the law will lower your demand. That being said, weed doesn’t concern me at all, especially not as much as alcohol or painkillers or hitting a woman. And if people think he’s selling weed, I would say no, Letroy just don’t like running out of smoke!
I guess the other teams didn’t hear that Raji was a beast in training camp last year. Teams had the same interest that they had with Raji last year, none. He should have been signed for 2 million, and been thankful for that. it beats working for a living making $50k a year.
Or….Other teams watched tape of Raji actually playing in games, then deemed him not worthy of even getting an invite in free agency.
At least Guion got an invite to work out for the Seahawks. But then again, there were no reports of the Hawks being interested in signing him after his visit.
They are both overpaid
lol…..Raji does have huge potential. Of being known as the fattest man in the NFL.
Well….
Raji didn’t just get busted pedaling Hashish Smoke….
So you are trying to sell us that Guion is a better player than Raji? Good thing you are not the GM. Give a YT? credit for getting both players back. Oh right you just can’t.
if Guion is suspended for 4 games, with lack of practice time and conditioning it will cost him a few more games out of the lineup. He proved that last year by taking about 4 games to really get going after he missed all of the preseason and training camp. So, he’ll only miss 4 games of pay for the suspension, but the reality is he’ll miss a few more while still on the payroll. The Packers gambled here as well, maybe hoping for a lesser suspension. Nice move by ted.
There is no doubt raji is the better player but player and contributer are two different meanings. Raji still has more potential than any nt in this draft or 3 years before this
You talk like Raji is a 1st or 2nd year player or a draft pick when you keep bringing up his potential, this will be his 7th year in the NFL.
Guion showed something last season that i haven’t seen Raji do in years. Getting off a block.
Raji was drafted by TT so naturally he’s going to be overpaid.
Who else gets signed or extended? Draft classes only suck up about $5M in contract values.
It sounds like you are complaining that we didn’t pay Guion more. Of course that would be retarded.
Worst article ever. Monty go back on vacation and let Shawn write the articles.
His arrest shouldnt mean anything? I coughed up my coffee until I realized you were serious.
Surely you know that guys who carry around pounds of pot, guns, and large wads of cash DONT just become new people overnight? Right? I mean the chances of a guy like that re-offending are pretty fucking high.
I love guys like PF4L who pretend like they have any fucking clue what offers were and were not on the table for either Raji or Guion. Just because you didnt see it written in crayon and in bold letters (the only way fucktard PF4L can read) doesnt mean it wasnt on the table.
Stop fucking acting like you know shit. First you complain that Ted doesnt spend money and he is a tight ass; then you complain that he is overpaying?
We needed both these guys back and we got them back. Ted did a hell of a job. ALL OF OUR MAJOR FA’s were signed. ALL OF THEM. Christ some people are never happy.