The Contract Years – TE’s
As a dynasty owner, one must think beyond the upcoming season and more into the future of their franchise.
One important area of focus for every dynasty owner should be which players are entering a “contract year”. The possibility of free agency not only impacts the player themselves but also their former and future team’s depth chart and the players that currently make that up.
NFL Players who are entering a contract year have that extra incentive to showcase their ability to play in the NFL in hopes of earning that blockbuster contract and therefore should be strongly considered by dynasty owners when making final roster decisions during the offseason.
This four-part series comes to an end with four tight ends who are entering the final year of their contract. They are hoping to capitalize on a solid year of production before they become unrestricted free agents and have all the leverage. A team could choose to assign the franchise tag to buy them another year at an inflated cost or, in some cases, a restricted free agent where their current team has the option to match any offers or receive a tender for his loss.
Jonnu Smith (Tennessee Titan):
Jonnu had shown some nice potential in the past but has not capitalized on his opportunity to own the position as the team’s starting tight end.
Outlook for 2020:
With Delanie Walker likely to have played his last down in Tennessee, Jonnu will once again be given that same opportunity. Teammate Anthony Firkser is expected to give him some competition for playing time as he strives to prove that he is the better option for Ryan Tannehill and the Titans. I see this as a completely open competition for both Smith and Firkser so it is up to them to earn their reps and opportunities as the season advances.
Gerald Everett (Los Angeles Rams):
Gerald was off to a great start last year as the Rams starting tight end but injuries to his knee kept him off the field during the second half of the season-opening game. The door was opened for teammate Tyler Higbee to take advantage which he certainly did by surpassing 500 yards catching the ball in his five starts in December. This certainly impacted fantasy seasons for many owners during the 2019 fantasy football playoffs including my own.
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Outlook for 2020:
The Rams have a nice dual threat at the tight end position as they enter the 2020 NFL season but Everett will have the most to play for as he enters a contract year. He hopes to earn enough reps to earn his next contract while Higbee has a couple more years in LA after signing a three-year extension through the 2023 NFL season.
Jared Cook (New Orleans Saints):
Cook had a decent season for the Saints last year after getting off to a slow start due to injuries finishing the year with just over 700 yards receiving and 9 touchdowns after catching 43 of 65 targets.
Outlook for 2020:
With little competition, I fully expect Cook to get a nice share of the snaps at the tight end position for the Saints but the addition of WR Emmanuel Sanders will likely have a significant impact on the number of targets he receives. Cook should still see top 15 production at his position but I wouldn’t expect the top 10 numbers he produced last year as he is not getting any younger.
Hunter Henry (Los Angeles Chargers):
Hunter finished the 2019 NFL season as a top 10 fantasy tight end and has all the potential to be that consensus all-pro tight end that every NFL team longs to find.
Outlook for 2020:
Hunter finished the 2019 NFL season as a top 10 fantasy tight end and should have no problem doing the same despite losing his veteran quarterback Philip Rivers to the Indianapolis Colts. The bigger question is whether he will do enough for the Chargers to award him a new contract which won’t come cheap. I’m guessing that we will see Henry in a Chargers uniform beyond next year as will certainly produce the numbers to earn that next contract unless injuries prevent him from, once again, accomplishing his goals for the year.
In Summary:
The tight end position in the NFL generally has a big gap between the top tier and the next level and this year is no different meaning teams are going to continue to try and develop young tight end prospects into what they hope to be that next stud at the position. It’s up to us to keep sifting through the sand to find that nugget that takes our team to the next level as it takes all the pieces to complete the puzzle.
A couple of veteran tight ends that I did not mention in this group entering a contract year are Rob Gronkowski and Jason Witten as they both recently came out of retirement to hop back into the ring. While I don’t expect big things from Witten going forward, you just never know about Gronk and his ability after taking some time off making the upcoming season an interesting one for sure.
No matter the case or situation………quality tight ends are few and far between no matter what format your league uses……..the difference makers are tough to come by so don’t undervalue them!
There are questions such as these prior to the start of every NFL season and it’s never too early to start thinking about next year if you are an owner of a dynasty team so don’t fall asleep while others are still on the clock working to better the futures of their own squads.
Good luck to you all as we enter yet another year of fantasy football and the entertainment that comes with it!
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