Cornerback isn’t always considered on of the “premium” positions in the modern NFL. When they are corners tend to be at the bottom of a list that goes something like QB, WR, OT, DT, EDGE – then maybe cornerback. Perhaps they belong higher on that list given how difficult it is to play given the athleticism of contemporary wide receivers and the rules being set against them.
Jaycee Horn knows as well as anybody how hard it can be to play this spot. Twice a year he has to go up against Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Mike Evans, who’s probably the most underrated and consistent playmaker in all four major team sports.
Speaking in an interview with Tom Pelissero and Steve Wyche on NFL Network earlier this week, Horn made it clear he feels corners should be paid as much as those lethal wide receivers that they’re tasked with stopping every week. He calls it the toughest position in the game, outside of QB.
“Yeah, we not all the way there with [wide receivers] yet, but I feel like we should be making what they’re making or more just because our job, man I feel like outside of quarterback, it’s the hardest job on the field… It takes a lot to be able to play corner. But you know it is what it is, it’s all life-changing money, so you can’t complain too much about it.”
Quarterback is no doubt the most-difficult position to play from a mental standpoint, but physically corner is far and away the toughest job. You can be the greatest competitor of all time and also completely helpless at this spot. Just picture Tom Brady at his best lining up across from prime Julio Jones and imagine what would have happened next.
Fair or not, Horn’s contract is getting a lot of bad press. His four-year, $100 million deal is seen as too much for a defender who’s only been healthy for most of one season and allowing six touchdowns last year. It’s fair to think it’s a little bit much given his injury history, but no one stat is going to convince us that he’s anything but a top-10 performer at the game’s toughest position. That’s always worth paying for.
