Absolutely, the Dak contract has been mismanaged. You don't think so? At this point, only way to correct it would be to sign some multiyear extension to push salary down the road. When it was obvious(early on) that we were going nowhere last season, the extension could've/should've been done right then, pushing bonuses into last season. However, that takes a heady GM.
Once again, the market thingie is a silly notion. Prolly created by the agents to get their QB more money. It really makes no sense since every QB is different. Look at the other positions. You very seldom see the 10th best player at a position being paid the same as the best. It's weird at the very least.
Last paragraph: Sure, as pertaining to this org. Since it's obvious we are rotten from the top down, I also wouldn't give them a discount. However, I am a fan of this team, and as a fan of this team I hated the Dak contract because it was blatantly obvious that we would find it hard to field a team paying him that much. And the evidence is overwhelming as the QBs making top dollar are not making many super bowls. It's the Darnolds and Staffords of the league. Stafford, BTW, took less money to stay w/ the Rams. I think it was around 40 mil.
So, if your argument is that he should fight for a contract over the top of the market because of the extreme incompetence of our FO, doesn't that mean you've given up? I mean, easy conclusion.
I know you're joking about the 7 mil. 7 mil buys you a very competent player. Would it have helped last season? Of course not, because Jerry had driven this D into the ground by poor drafting and very poor talent evaluation.