Follow the Money: FSU Defensive Backs in the NFL

News broke this past weekend that Minnesota Vikings’ cornerback and Florida State alum Xavier Rhodes would sign a lucrative contract for around $70 million. It makes him one of the highest paid corners in the league, and reflects well on Florida State football’s ability to develop players.

After all, Rhodes came to Tallahassee as a 3-star wide receiver. Head coach Jimbo Fisher decided a switch to the other side of the ball was best and the rest is history.

Florida State football has used the NFL contracts of its alums as a recruiting tool for the past couple of years. With Rhodes now making a lot more money than before, it stands to reason that those efforts will continue. So how much money are FSU defensive backs making in the NFL?

The list is below, along with four other teams with similar production. All numbers are from Spotrac.com, overthecap.com, or outside sources like news reports.

• Xavier Rhodes: 5 years, $70 million
• Jalen Ramsey: 4 years, $23.35 million
• Lamarcus Joyner: 4 years, $5.03 million
• Ronald Darby: 4 years, $4.57 million
• P.J. Williams: 4 years, $3.06 million
• Terrence Brooks: 4 years, $2.87 million
• Marquez White: 4 years, $2.51 million
• Javien Elliot: 2 years, $990,000
• Patrick Robinson: 1 year, $775,000

Sum: $113.16 million (Average: $12.57 million)
The new Rhodes contract immediately catapults FSU defensive backs into the same level as other schools with extensive success in the draft. The Fisher era has seen a resurgence of draftable players in the secondary (almost all cornerbacks). Players like Darby and Joyner are still on their rookie contracts; Joyner is in the final year of his, and he’s probably due for a payday if he performs like he has the past couple of years for the Los Angeles Rams.

Only two former FSU players are making below $2.5 million on their current contracts. Robinson was a recruit from the late Bowden years, while Elliot was a walk-on who exceeded all expectations in an inspiring story. The rest of the players were all drafted.

In terms of average per player, FSU comes in at $12.57 million. Compared to the four other teams below, that puts the Seminoles at fourth overall. Much like the rest of the teams, the top contracts appear to skew the averages. This isn’t surprising when one considers the nature of having multiple players in the NFL at the same position. If even one of them turns into a star, they’re going to get paid much higher than the rest.

Even better news for Florida State? It’s only going to get higher from here on out. Current defensive backs Derwin James and Tarvarus McFadden are likely first round picks in the next year or two. They might both be top 10. If that plays out, then the sum above would increase by at least $40 million. That means the average per player would go up to roughly $13.9 million.

How does this compare to other schools known for defensive backs in the NFL? Here are the numbers below. The original source for players in the league is this NFL.com story. Rookies from the 2017 draft are included, and players who are free agents were dropped from the calculations.

LSU (12 players)

Sum: $196.81 million (Average: $16.4 million)

The more one looks at the data, the clearer it becomes that LSU is head and shoulders above every other school when it comes to success in the NFL. The Tigers have an astounding 12 defensive backs on NFL rosters, with four of them getting paid more than $10 million. Much like FSU, they have two big contracts in Tyrann Mathieu and Patrick Peterson, both of whom make above $62 million. If FSU stays on the track its currently on, it could potentially match the Tigers in a couple of years.

Florida (9 players)

Sum: $115.39 million (Average: $12.82 million)

Not surprisingly, Florida and Florida State are very similar in this regard. They have the same number of players, a sum total separated by less than $3 million and an average less than $300,000 apart. The stratification between their top paid defender and the rest is a bit greater: Joe Haden is making over $67 million and no else netting above $15 million. Though once again, this is something that could radically change after one season.

Ohio State (10 players)

Sum: $120.07 million (Average: $12 million)

The Buckeyes have the second highest sum yet the lowest average of all teams. How can this be? The reason is that none of the high-end earners make more than $35 million and that’s Malcolm Jenkins. However, Ohio State does have something to hang its hat on. Of the five schools examined, it has the most players (six) making more than $10 million. Also, none of its players make less than $1 million. Low ceiling, high floor.

Alabama (7 players)

Sum: $119.88 million (Average: $17.13 million)

The past offseason was not kind to Crimson Tide cornerbacks. Three different players (Roman Harper, Rashad Johnson, and Dee Milliner) were either cut or became free agents after not re-signing with their teams. That being said, they were still able to account for the third highest sum and the highest average of anyone. Some stigma exists with Alabama defensive backs, but by these numbers they seem pretty much in line with everyone else. Dre Kirkpatrick and his $50 million contract certainly deserves some thanks for providing a huge boost.