Though the contract signed by defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth with the Redskins on the first morning of free agency widely has been described as a $100 million contract, it accurately has been analyzed, for practical purposes, as a four-year, $48 million deal. (In year five, Haynesworth is due to earn $29 million in salary and bonuses -- at a time when he will be 32 years old.)
Under that standard, Ravens defensive end/linebacker Terrell Suggs actually did a better deal.
Per a league source, here’s how Suggs’ payout over the first four years on his brand-new contract compares to Haynesworth’s.
In year one, Suggs gets $15.1 million and Haynesworth gets $11 million.
Through two years, Suggs gets $40 million and Haynesworth receives $35.6 million.
After three, Suggs will have pocketed $43.4 million, with Haynesworth only (only?) getting $41 million.
And after four seasons, Suggs will end up with $200,000 more than Haynesworth -- $48.3 million versus $48.1 million.
Both deals are great. But the reality is that Suggs is every bit as good, and actually a little bit better, than Haynesworth’s.