Hester Holdout

Devin Hester is exhibit 1A (behind exhibit 1, Brian Westbrook) as to the unfairness of the NFL’s salary cap and structure. And I tend to agree with Pro Football Talk’s advocacy for some sort of performance pay supplement to rookie contracts. But while Hester is an ideal example of the unfortunate vagaries of the salary cap, he is the worst example for performance pay.

 

First and foremost, he’s a punt returner. An electrifying, game-changing punt returner, but a punt returner nonetheless. So how much more performance pay could Hester earn – over fellow punt returners – that would accurately compensate him for his abilities. Hint: not enough. Why: cause he’s a punt returner. As game-changing as he is, how can you actually quantify his statistical worth accurately? Someone get Adam Schefter on the case.