Some of the details are in on Braylon Edwards’ contract with the 49ers, including how much guaranteed money he received: Zero.
Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com reports that Edwards has a $1 million base salary, and no guaranteed money. The reported $3.5 million salary for 2011 is what Edwards will earn only if he reaches all his incentives, including catching 90 passes and making the Pro Bowl.
The fact that Edwards gets no guaranteed money is huge: It means that if Edwards reveals himself to be more of a pain in the neck than he’s worth at any point during training camp or the preseason, the 49ers can cut him without having paid him anything. Edwards is a vested veteran, so his $1 million base salary will be guaranteed if he’s on the 49ers’ roster for Week One.
Edwards’ contract is nowhere near as good as the one-year, $3.017 million deal Plaxico Burress got from the Jets, so it’s clear that the Jets view Burress -- despite the fact that he’s been in prison the last two years -- as an upgrade over Edwards.
If Edwards is smart, he’ll take the lack of interest in him from around the NFL as a wakeup call. Edwards is one of the most talented wide receivers in football, and the fact that he had to settle for a contract with no guaranteed money shows that for NFL teams, the trouble Edwards brings with him outweighs the talent.
Edwards becomes a free agent again in seven months. If the 49ers are lucky, he’ll be on his best behavior and motivated to earn a much more lucrative contract in 2012.