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Jason Taumalolo is expected to reject the temptation of a career in the NFL and sign a $10 million contract with the Cowboys – one of the richest deal in the league’s history – which would see him locked up until 2027.
The idea of such a lengthy deal may appear risky, and his $1 million per year contract perhaps seems overpriced.
Yet there are a few things to consider.
Firstly, the issue of the money. I am sure you recall the infamous back-flipping incident only two years ago, when Manly halfback Daly Cherry-Evans reneged on a lucrative, four-year deal with the Gold Coast Titans to sign an even more tempting contract to stay on the Northern Beaches for eight years. That deal was reportedly worth approximately $1.25 million a season.
Cherry-Evans is yet to live up to his price tag. Yet, Taumalolo is much younger than Cherry-Evans was when he penned his deal, three years to be exact, and has already claimed a Dally M Medal and premiership. So there is even more potential in the North Queensland wrecking ball, which is hard to believe considering what he has already achieved.
If you just look at his 2016 season you will understand why North Queensland are willing to pay so much to ensure he is a Cowboy for life.
Although Taumalolo is still lagging marginally behind Andrew Fifita statistically when it comes to areas such as run metres, tackles, tackle busts and offloads, his performance in last year’s semi-final victory over the Broncos proved he has growth left.
In that game, he ran for 245 metres (79 more than his average in 2016) as well as making 29 tackles (23 on average), busting nine tackles (three on average) and most importantly he stayed on the field for a whopping 76 minutes (he averaged 52 minutes in 2016). These numbers suggest that Taumalolo has even more improvement left and will quickly catch up to Fifita, who is four years his senior.
The deal also seems a financially wise one seeing that the NRL is currently reviewing the salary cap and, with its steady rise, the Courier Mail has reported that, if JT maintains his form, this deal could have been worth over $1.5 million a season in the future.
The main concern is the ten-year-length of the deal. Sometimes rugby league can be a cruel game – just ask Kyle Stanley, who was forced into retirement from the game at just 24 after tearing his anterior crucial ligament five times.
Now, I am not suggesting that Taumalolo is likely to be struck by this same horrible luck. But if injury were to strike, the Cowboys could potentially find themselves paying $1 million for Taumalolo to sit on the sidelines.
To be fair, in his five full NRL seasons, the Cowboys lock has averaged a very impressive 22 games a year, with some absences due to suspension. Yet, the worry remains that if Taumalolo was to become unable to play, under the agreement between the NRL and Rugby League Players’ Association in 2013, the Cowboys would have to pay out the full value of his contract. Such is the risk that the Cowboys are taking.
In saying this, if Taumalolo can stay fit, taking into account the expected rise in the salary cap and his age, the investment looks promising.
Once Johnathan Thurston retires, it appears the Cowboys have made sure a bloke by the same initials will readily replace him as their leader, and it is great to see the faith they have in him. I can only cross my fingers that all goes to plan.
What do you think Roarers? Is this a good move?
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