At signing, a whopping $60 million (actually, $59.955 million) of the contract signed Wednesday by Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is fully guaranteed.
But that’s not the end of the guaranteed money.
Per a source with knowledge of the deal, the remaining $54.33 million also has guarantees attached to it, on a rolling basis.
The $60 million ($59.955 million) applies to 2015, 2016, and 2017. Starting in 2018, Suh’s base salaries become fully guaranteed if he’s on the roster on the fifth day of each league year. On the fifth day of the 2018 league year, $16.985 million becomes fully guaranteed. On the fifth day of the 2019 league year, $18.985 million becomes fully guaranteed. On the fifth day of the 2020 league year, $18.36 million becomes fully guaranteed.
As a practical matter, the triggers force the Lions to make a decision in 2018 through 2020 by the middle of March, guaranteeing Suh early entry to the open market if the Dolphins choose to move on. Regardless, it’s rare that the out years of a contract contain such protections for the player.
It shows how badly the Dolphins wanted Suh, and how much leverage the defensive free agent with the biggest name since Reggie White had.