Are NFL quarterbacks worth their high salaries?

It’s a lucrative time to be an NFL quarterback. Teams are spending big money on multiyear contract extensions to lock in their signal-callers to long-term deals in hopes of having a franchise face to lead the way for many years. That means players who haven’t been in the league for long—including some who have yet to live up to expectations—can command top dollar.Stacker compiled a list of NFL quarterbacks with a $200 million contract using data from Spotrac.Teams increasingly look to the position as the most important factor in their success or failure. The league values QBs similarly—the last time a non-quarterback won the MVP award was in 2012.To feed the constant need, teams have increasingly used their top draft picks on that one position. From 1976 to 1999, just seven of the #1 picks were quarterbacks. Drafting philosophies have completely changed since then—all but seven of the top draft picks since 2000 have been quarterbacks.The focus on finding good quarterbacks comes as older, established quarterbacks retire. The generation of talent that includes Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, and the Mannings is all but gone, leaving a void that younger quarterbacks need to fill.However, the desire to get another...