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Bradford's $50 million guarantee is legit
Posted by Mike Florio on July 31, 2010 7:33 AM ET
Whenever we see a rash of reports regarding record contract numbers for a guy who has never stood at the line of scrimmage in an NFL game and called out signals, we're skeptical.
Everyone who has reported on the contract that the Rams have given quarterback Sam Bradford has reported that Bradford will receive $50 million guaranteed.
And though we've yet to see the paperwork, a source whom we trust tells us that, indeed, it's a legitimate guarantee of $50 million.
That's $8.3 million more in guaranteed money than the first overall pick received in 2009, an increase of 19.9 percent.
So much for teams not being willing to sign players to long-term, big-money deals given the uncertain status of the labor situation.
As we've recently pointed out, a record deal for an unproven quarterback at a time when multiple teams won't give contract extensions to veteran players tends to undermine the notion that the CBA question marks prevent large dollars from being tossed around. And it should make fans of teams like the Colts, Patriots, and Chargers demand that ownership either break open the pocket books for players like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Vincent Jackson, and Marcus McNeill or come up with a far more plausible excuse for not doing so.
If a team that has won six games in three years with an outdated stadium and an unsettled ownership situation can break the bank for a guy with water behind the ears and a shoulder busted by a college-level linebacker, surely the more proven and successful franchises can find a way to secure their key players.
Posted by Mike Florio on July 31, 2010 7:33 AM ET
Whenever we see a rash of reports regarding record contract numbers for a guy who has never stood at the line of scrimmage in an NFL game and called out signals, we're skeptical.
Everyone who has reported on the contract that the Rams have given quarterback Sam Bradford has reported that Bradford will receive $50 million guaranteed.
And though we've yet to see the paperwork, a source whom we trust tells us that, indeed, it's a legitimate guarantee of $50 million.
That's $8.3 million more in guaranteed money than the first overall pick received in 2009, an increase of 19.9 percent.
So much for teams not being willing to sign players to long-term, big-money deals given the uncertain status of the labor situation.
As we've recently pointed out, a record deal for an unproven quarterback at a time when multiple teams won't give contract extensions to veteran players tends to undermine the notion that the CBA question marks prevent large dollars from being tossed around. And it should make fans of teams like the Colts, Patriots, and Chargers demand that ownership either break open the pocket books for players like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Vincent Jackson, and Marcus McNeill or come up with a far more plausible excuse for not doing so.
If a team that has won six games in three years with an outdated stadium and an unsettled ownership situation can break the bank for a guy with water behind the ears and a shoulder busted by a college-level linebacker, surely the more proven and successful franchises can find a way to secure their key players.