Receiver Pierre Garçon hasn’t consistently played like a No. 1 wideout. But the Redskins have decided to pay him like one.
As usual, the original reports of a big-money deal make the deal seem much bigger than it is. Still, Garçon will be pocketing plenty of cash, especially in comparison to one of the other receivers who plays in the NFC East.
Per a source with knowledge of the deal, Garçon will be paid $13.1 million in fully guaranteed money, via an $11 million signing bonus and a $2.1 million base salary in 2012 that is guaranteed for skill/injury/cap. Garçon’s $5.6 million base salary in 2013 is guaranteed for injury, and it becomes fully guaranteed on the third day of the 2013 league year. Another $1.8 million of Garçon’s 2014 base salary of $7.1 million is guaranteed for injury on signing, and fully guaranteed on the third day of the 2014 league year.
In contrast, DeSean Jackson received $15 million in fully guaranteed money, with another $3 million guaranteed for injury only.
So, basically, what the heck are the Redskins thinking?
In the Garçon deal, the base salaries for 2015 and 2016 are $7.1 million and $7.6 million, respectively. Also, Garçon will receive per-game bonuses of up to $250,000 per season, based on whether he’s on the 46-man game-day active roster. He is eligible for annual workout bonuses of $150,000.
It adds up to a five-year deal with a maximum value of $42.5 million. Though several million lower than the five-year, $47 million deal signed on Wednesday by Jackson, it’s close enough to make folks wonder whether the Redskins are expecting too much from a guy who never had had a 1,000-yard season and who has generated, on average, four touchdown passes per year.
Then again, the fact that Garçon caught 70 passes for 947 yards from the Kerry Collins/Curtis Painter/Dan Orlovsky combo platter is encouraging. Likewise, the fact that Garçon got his deal on the open market while Jackson was limited by the franchise tag should be regarded as a major factor.
This isn’t a question of whether Jackson got a great deal. Given his situation, his size, and his history, he did. The point is that the Redskins went a little berserk on Tuesday.
Apparently, they did.