Colts cornerback Kenny Moore is unhappy with his current contract, and the latest reporting on the matter suggested that negotiations towards a new deal have not gained much traction. Moore, who is due base salaries of $6.5MM and $6.795MM over the next two years, believes those figures are not reflective of his value to the club.
Specifically, as Zak Keefer of The Athletic tweets, Moore wants to be paid as an elite cornerback, not as an elite slot cornerback. “I want to play football … [I don’t] like the whole nickel slot corner thing,” Moore said. “I’m a corner at the end of the day. You guys watch the same games that we play.”
Moore’s current contract, signed in 2019, gave him $30MM in new money, which was a record for slot defenders. That deal was authorized after the former UDFA had accrued just two years of service time, and between that and the fact that the early payout gave Moore an opportunity to hit the open market before he turns 29 — to say nothing of the two years of club control that still remain — the Colts do not seem particularly inclined to offer many concessions.
On the other hand, Moore’s dissatisfaction is understandable. Because teams are deploying nickel packages more and more frequently, a team’s top slot DB is really a starter, and while no one has played more slot coverage snaps than Moore since 2018 — h/t Anthony Treash of Pro Football Focus — he has seen plenty of time outside the numbers and has proven adept at tackling in space and playing behind the line of scrimmage. He is also a bonafide playmaker, having notched eight interceptions over the last two seasons (including one pick-six), and he tallied 102 total tackles in 2021, which saw him earn his first Pro Bowl bid.
Still, there is a considerable gap between Moore’s $8.325MM average annual value and the AAVs enjoyed by the game’s elite boundary corners. Jaire Alexander‘s new contract with the Packers made him the first $21MM/year corner in NFL history — though that deal was comparatively light on guaranteed money — and there are ten CBs making at least $16.5MM per year. So even if the Colts agree to address Moore’s contract in some way, he probably should not expect to be catapulted into the top ten earners at the cornerback position.
Perhaps, as our Sam Robinson recently posited, the two sides can come together on some sort of incentive package for the 2022 campaign. And assuming Moore continues to perform at a high level, the Colts will probably be more serious about a lucrative extension next offseason, when Moore will be entering a platform year. The Valdosta State product did attend the team’s mandatory minicamp after skipping voluntary OTAs, so unless talks truly turn sour, it seems likely that he will appear for training camp as well.
To a certain degree, he has a point. I’m not saying that Moore is it isn’t an elite CB, but slot corners play as much and are as valuable to a defense as any traditional “starter” at any position on D. This situation screams for an incentive-laden deal tied to playing time, but Moore may not go for that.
I used to hate your posts. Lol. Now you just seem smart AF.
Thanks… I think? 😉 I try to be objective and just hope I look smart in the process, it just doesn’t always work out that way.
Moore is quite good at what he does, and deserves to be considered alongside other top corners around the league. He’s also right that slot corners, where he plays best, are starters in today’s league. “Base” packages are on the field less than a fifth of the time on some defenses.
That said, the precedent has to be set before any slot corner can negotiate a deal comparable to an outside corner. The elite slot guys truly do stand out, but there are quite a few players who play better inside than out. Again, truly elite slot players like Moore are still rare and stand out, but elite boundary players are fewer in number. I think Moore might be able to push the market a bit, but I don’t think that he ultimately will get a record setting deal at the position overall.
When are we going to get the point where teams stop giving in to these guys who complain about making millions? You signed the contract, stop whining and play!
If you were being paid considerably less than others in your field with similar or lesser skill sets, I’ll bet you’d raise a fuss. Holding out, or “holding in” like Minoan Fitzpatrick is currently doing, or just going to the media to express their view, is the only kind of leverage these guys often have.
“Complaining about making millions” is a red herring and besides the point. They are (usually) not complaining about making millions. They are complaining about making way less than they feel they should be when compared with their peers. Being jealous of those who make millions is natural, but condemning them for not being happy with it regardless of exigencies circumstances is shortsighted IMO.
If I were concerned about being the top paid in my field, I wouldn’t sign a longer term contract. I would go year to year to maximize my earnings potential.
You give up some of that max pay for the year-to-year stability.
That’s a fair point. But balance that with the idea that these guys are one injury away from losing everything. I generally don’t have an issue with any player asking for the moon… if a team gives it to them, great, and if not, then deal with it.
I’m surprised more players don’t negotiate in escalators that will offer bonuses to stay withing a certain pay range for their position.
I’m not sure teams would want that. They need the years to spread the cap hit over.
Perfect insight to an unbiased post. Contributor to this site for sure.
He’s underpaid substantially. Kiss resign goodbye if you don’t bend a little. Trade chip for sure but his snap count is astonishing. He’s pissed cuz he signed a nickel deal and plays full time.
Some CBs excel in the slot and not so much on the outside. I’d look at Mike Hilton of Cincy as an example
Then maybe he should become an elite corner.
When teams are trotting 3 wide receivers out there most of time the slot guys do become increasingly valuable. Moore should be paid well because he produces.
An argument could be made that he is already.
Definitely an elite nickel every down corner
Just another whiner who got a chance most didn’t, was probably ecstatic he got the original $$$ now needs more? Don’t understand these guys. 3 years ago as an UDFA he was probably thinking what he was going to do outside of football making what most average Americans make. Now it isn’t enough.