Details of Suh's record contract and how it will alter the NFL landscape
With his new deal, Ndamukong Suh sets non-quarterback records for average salary and guaranteed money, and probably raises the bar for future quarterback contracts.
By
Joel Corry
•
3 min read
A breakdown of Suh's contract:
- Signing Bonus: $25.5 million
- Guaranteed Money: $59.955 million
- Fully Guaranteed At Signing: $59.555 million
- Deal Total: $114.375 million
- Contract Length: 6 years
- Average Per Year: $19,062,500
| Year | Base Salary | Workout Bonus |
Signing Bonus Proration |
Salary Cap Number |
Cash Flow |
| 2015 | $985,000 | $15,000 | $5,100,000 | $6,100,000 | $26,500,000 |
| 2016 | $23,485,000 | $15,000 | $5,100,000 | $28,600,000 | $50,000,000 |
| 2017 | $9,985,000 | $15,000 | $5,100,000 | $15,100,000 | $60,000,000 |
| 2018 | $16,985,000 | $15,000 | $5,100,000 | $22,100,000 | $77,000,000 |
| 2019 | $18,895,000 | $15,000 | $5,100,000 | $24,100,000 | $96,000,000 |
| 2020 | $18,360,000 | $15,000 | $18,375,000 | $114,375,000 |
Suh’s $59.955 million fully guaranteed at signing consists of his $25.5 million signing bonus, $985,000 2015 base salary, $23.485 million 2016 base salary and $9.985 million 2017 base salary.
$8.5 million of Suh’s 2018 base salary becomes fully guaranteed if he’s still on Miami’s roster on the fifth day of the 2018 league year (mid-March 2018). $9.5 million and $9 million of his 2019 and 2020 base salaries are fully guaranteed if he’s still with the Dolphins on the fifth day of those respective league years.
Observations
1. Re-defining non-QB guaranteed money: Suh’s $59.955 million guaranteed sets a new standard for guaranteed money with non-quarterbacks. It eclipses the $53.25 million of guaranteed money in the seven-year, $113.45 million contract extension Calvin Johnson received from the Detroit Lions in 2012. The $4.5 million roster bonus from Johnson’s rookie contract, which was payable on the same day the extension was executed, is being considered as a part of his guaranteed money.
2. Re-defining guaranteed money at signing: Suh’s deal sets the bar for money fully guaranteed at signing. Johnson is second with $53.25 million. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is third. $44.5 million was fully guaranteed when he signed a five-year, $110 million extension in 2013 to become the NFL’s highest paid player.
3. Top 3 in contract guarantees: Suh is third in overall contract guarantees. Technically, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s $61 million in guarantees is the most ever in an NFL contract but slightly less than $13 million was fully guaranteed at signing. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is second with $60.5 million in guarantees. He had $40 million fully guaranteed at signing when he became the NFL’s first $20 million per year player in 2012.
4. What it means for Justin Houston: Suh’s contract could complicate negotiations for a new deal with Kansas City Chiefs franchise player Justin Houston. Joel Segal, the agent for the All-Pro linebacker, may raise the contract demands since Suh beat Watt’s deal by a considerable margin. The new demand might be in the $18 million per year neighborhood with $55 million in guarantees. The Chiefs will likely be adamant about keeping Houston’s contract average under quarterback Alex Smith’s $17 million average per year. Typically, the starting quarterback is at the top of a team’s salary hierarchy when he gets a lucrative contract. For example, Matthew Stafford is the highest paid player on the Lions (by average yearly salary) despite Johnson arguably being one of the five best players in the NFL when healthy.
5. What it means for the QBs: Quarterbacks Eli Manning (New York Giants), Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers), Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers), Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) are in the final year of their deals, which puts them in line for contract extensions. Suh’s deal makes it more difficult to keep their contact averages under $19 million per year. It also raises the overall guarantees which will be in their new deals as well as the amount fully guaranteed at signing. It’s conceivable that Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who will have two years remaining on his contract once the Colts exercise their option for a 2016 contract year, could get $75 million in guarantees on his next contract because of Suh’s deal.
Joel Corry is a former sports agent who helped found Premier Sports & Entertainment, a sports management firm that represents professional athletes and coaches. Before his tenure at Premier, Joel worked for Management Plus Enterprises, which represented Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and Ronnie Lott. You can follow him on Twitter: @corryjoel | You can email him at jccorry@gmail.com
