Kirk wasn't just 27th in the Madden 23 coins in yards per reception last year, he was not thought of as the top receiver in this group of free agents -- so when he got paid as an elite franchise cornerstone, everything changed.

The tenor abruptly changed. It became apparent that Green Bay wasn't going to be able to sign Adams on the longer-term contract they were hoping for and that led to his departure. Hill was also involved in discussions with the Chiefs too, but there was a financial issue. You really can't blame either Adams or Hill in this particular scenario. If someone like Kirk is making $74M, with a guarantee of $37M -- it's justifiable that two of Madden NFL 23's finest are worth nine-figure contracts.

It was, quite simply it was impossible for any team to bear. Since both Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes signing big-money contracts it's not realistic to give up more than a quarter of the salary cap to two playersand not without risking the other players by doing so. However, the commonality between Las Vegas and Miami is that they're not vastly overspending at the position of quarterback. Derek Carr is at the final stretch of an extension that was signed in 2017 that is set to be worth just under $19 million against the cap this year, while Tua Tagovailoa remains on the rookie contract. Both teams were able to absorb a mammoth tax hit to a top player under Madden NFL 23's brand new, escalating pay.

The paradigm shift is a reminder of how badly prepared Madden NFL 23 was to allow the soaring salaries of receivers. In the past, Amari Cooper was the sole WR that earned over $20 million however, the majority top contract offers for receivers falling in the range of $10-15M. In the present, there are five receivers who are expected to earn more than $20M, and seven making more than $15 million. There is going to be a lot of pain going forward, and extremely difficult choices. Although QB and WR pay has been increasing exponentially, the salary cap isn't keeping up. Over the past four years, the cap has only increased by $20 million, while salaries for positions have increased, particularly in the offensive department.

That means that unless there's a significant cap relief by 2023 that allows teams to spend more (something owners will likely not want to do since it cuts the profits of their business), teams will have to decide whether they'd like to hire an elite quarterback OR an elite receiver, since they're unlikely to have the funds to pay both. The players should be compensated and will locate a person to pay them regardless of whether it requires competing with other teams or not.

The most interesting wrinkle to all this is when we consider how effective young receivers have become in recent times. Madden NFL 23 games are so similar to the college game of modern football that any notion of a lengthy onboarding process or the one-year building up to becoming a top receiver is gone. Justin Jefferson broke the Madden NFL 23's rookie record for receiving in the year 2020. and then was quickly surpassed by the Ja'Marr Chase. In fact, 11 of the Madden NFL 23's best 25 players in terms of distance were still under rookie contracts when they signed in 2021.

In other words, even though we'll contract increases at the position of proven talent, we could also see a churn start at the position, especially in relation to the top teams, just like what we've seen at running back -- though for different reasons. There's a widespread belief that top-tier teams no longer contract rushers with huge extensions rather, they let them leave their initial contracts and Mut 23 coins look for a new one.