I haven't looked at your rankings lately - if you have him 7th now, then I apologize, though I was pretty sure you had him much lower in the past (over the offseason, etc). I also noticed you now have VJ behind him, which wasn't the case before (and your comments suggest just that).
In any case - this particular discussion arose from a comparison between Marshall and VJax, and you're the one who put forth the contract example. We all know your VJ love is strong... me, I don't really have a dog in this race except that I think VJ is overrated.
Personally, I don't believe that contract should be weighed that heavily in evaluation. Sure, it's some evidence on how at least one NFL team views a player's value, but then we've also have PLENTY of examples of bad contracts over the years.
Rankings aside, you and F&L in particularly have repeatedly dismissed Marshall over character concerns and stats, and yet for some reason seem willing to overlook these for VJax even as he's suspended and holding out. Marshall was charged but acquitted, while VJax plead guilty to a DUI while on probation for a DUI. (And yes, I went to law school so I know there's more nuance behind the meaning of a guilty plea). Marshall has a big contract, while VJ wants a big contract. Miami already gave up two 2nd rounders for Marshall, while others haven't traded for VJ even though SD's asking price is now much lower.
So, no - my argument is not ridiculous. If you think VJ's talent is greater than Marshall's based on on-field evaluation - as you indicated in your ranking comments - I won't argue with you because it's subjective. The thing I have an issue with is using an objective factor like stats or a contract in favor of one player, but ignoring it for another player.
Frankly, it's not worth discussing anymore more. And again, I apologize because I did think you had Marshall much lower. With a few exceptions, I think we're actually pretty close in our rankings - though even before the holdout ugliness, I would have taken Marshall over VJax every time.
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And I know it's rhetoric, but elite means best of the best. Yes, more than one player can be elite, but very good != elite. When I say elite, I'm usually referring to the top 5, sometimes less.