RAIDERS INK McFADDEN Posted by Mike Florio on June 6, 2008, 7:57 a.m. Weeks before the opening of training camp, three of the top five picks in the NFL draft are already under contract. On Thursday night, the Raiders quietly announced on their web site that running back Darren McFadden, the No. 4 overall pick, agreed to terms. A press conference will be aired on Raiders.com at 2:00 p.m. EDT. Various media reports indicate that it is a six-year, $60 million deal, with $26 million in guaranteed money. We look forward to breaking down the terms (yeah, we’re football contract geeks, and proud of it . . . sort of), since the early opt-out from the Collective Bargaining Agreement prevents salary from being guaranteed in the sixth year of 2008 rookie deals, which in turn limits the amount of actual guarantees that the top sixteen players in the draft could receive on a six-year deal. Because of the rookie pool that caps the total money that can be paid by a team to its first-year players and the rule that limits the annual growth of rookie salary to 25 percent of the first-year salary, most of the top players have been receiving their guaranteed money in the form of a first-year roster bonus and minimum salary, with guaranteed salaries and/or guaranteed roster bonuses in all future years of the deal. For McFadden and any of the other players taken in the top 16 of the draft, any six-year deal necessarily will be unable to include guaranteed salary in the sixth year, due to the early opt-out. McFADDEN’S REAL GUARANTEE IS $19.6 MILLION Posted by Mike Florio on June 6, 2008, 1:42 p.m. Though reported as a contract containing $26 million in guaranteed money, we’re told by a source with knowledge of the situation that the deal signed by Raiders running back Darren McFadden, the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, contains $19.6 million in guaranteed money at the time of signing. The rest of the guaranteed money comes from achievement of the so-called “falling off the log” bonus based on the achievement of minimum playing time in any year of the deal. We’re also told that the guaranteed money at the time of signing was based on McFadden’s rookie pool allocation in 2008 with guaranteed salaries in years two through five, and the maximum annual growth of 25 percent of the first-year compensation. So while there’s a belief in some circles that guaranteed money can still be pushed into year six despite the early cancellation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Raiders didn’t use that device. And though our initial reaction was to ask why McFadden would have done a six-year deal with a guaranteed payment based on five seasons, he surely wouldn’t have gotten a $7.4 million “log” bonus as part of only a five-year contract.
Wasn't Matt Ryans guranteed money around 34 million? That's a BIG difference between the 3 and 4 picks.
Supposedly six-year, $72 million deal with $34.5 guaranteed. Yea his deal is maybe the most insane NFL contract ever signed.
Yeah definitely ridiculous. You have to wonder WTH the Falcons were thinking. Its like the agent just came and stated to Matt, "go big or go home." Said a random number to team management and they just said "ok."
it sure feels that way. its quite obvious atlanta wants to do all it can to overcome mike vike syndrome, and they feel that insanely overpaying a rookie qb is the best way to do that. if so.. hey.. good for them i guess
Yeah I guess so. We'll see when it comes time to restructure his contract. When he does, he will still be a top paid QB lol. Ridiculous to say the least.
The Matt Ryan contract is ridiculous. Nobody would give him that much money, except Atlanta, who had to have him signed by Minicamp and Training Camp because there is nobody else and they badly want to move on from Michael Vick. Either way, Darren McFadden is a chump. Have fun with him making $10 milion a year Oakland. Fools.
