Earlier this afternoon, agent Alvin Keels “broke” the terms of Darrius Heyward-Bey’s contract. (Since Keels isn’t DHB’s agent, this marks another odd show of Twitter’s power.)
In the meantime, PFT - namely Florio - has confirmed that the terms Keels presented were accurate. So here they are.
Heyward-Bey will earn $38.250 million over five years in base salary, with $23.5 million guaranteed.
The total max value, if Heyward-Bey hits every last incentive, would be $54 million. (For this to happen, Heyward-Bey’s hamstrings will have to let him practice occasionally.)
The guaranteed money is roughly a 20.5% bump over Sedrick Ellis’ deal in the same spot last year. The base salary totals go up 14% 19.5%.
That’s a lot of coin for someone without a great deal of production in college. For point of comparison, Heyward-Bey’s deal looks superior by any measure to the one Greg Jennings signed with Green Bay.
It’s believed that Heyward-Bey’s deal will lead to more first-round signings for the players drafted around him.
Of course, teams may not be so willing to jump on board if they don’t feel like the Raiders got a good deal.