Jacksonville QB David Garrard stopped by The Steve Mason Show on Thursday, and he was pretty psyched about winning the Vizio Top Value Performer Award. This is a pretty cool idea. It's the first time Vizio has ever done it. The award goes to the guy who, as voted by fans, has the greatest value to his team compared to his salary.
6 former NFL GMs, including Ron Wolf and Tom Donahoe and Ernie Accorsi, came up with a list of finalists, then fans voted for the winner online. Garrard beat out Cleveland QB Derek Anderson (made only $440K this year), Bears WR/kick returner Devin Hester ($1.2M), Green Bay WR Greg Jennings ($364K), Giants RB Brandon Jacobs ($440K) and Denver wideout Brandon Marshall ($366K).
Garrard made only $1.1M for the 2007-08 season, but he had the 3rd-highest QB rating in the league at 102.2. He led the Jacksonville Jaguars to an 11-5 record with 18 TDs and only 3 picks. He also led the Jags to a Wild Card Weekend playoff win over Pittsburgh, with his late-game long 4th down scramble as one of the keys to the upset.
In my interview with him, he says it's nice to get the award, but you only want to win it once. He told me that there are quiet negotiations for an extension since his contract ends after next season. He deserves every penny he gets. David has got all of the intangibles to lead Jacksonville even deeper into the playoffs next year and beyond.