At first blush, the contract signed by tackle Matt Kalil in Carolina doesn’t look as good as advertised, thanks to an error in the summary prepared by the NFLPA. With the accurate information, it’s a far better deal.
The mistake appears in the fully-guaranteed 2018 base salary, which per NFLPA records is $1 million. Per a source with knowledge of the deal, it’s actually $11 million.
The face of the contract shows that the $11 million salary drops to $1 million once a $10 million option bonus is exercised in 2018.
So Kalil will get $24 million fully guaranteed at signing. And as a practical matter the Panthers can move on after giving him $24 million over two years, because after that it essentially becomes a year-to-year contract.