DeSean Jackson didn’t get traded because no one wanted to pay him $10.5 million in 2014. The Redskins ultimately chose to pay him 76 percent of that.
Per a source with knowledge of the contract, Jackson will make $8 million in 2014. The total comes from a $5 million signing bonus, a fully-guaranteed base salary of $1 million, a fully-guaranteed $500,000 workout bonus, and a $1.5 million 53-man per-game roster bonus that is fully guaranteed.
For 2015, Jackson gets a fully-guaranteed $3.75 million base salary, a fully-guaranteed $500,000 workout bonus, and a fully-guaranteed $3.75 million 53-man roster bonus.
That’s $16 million fully guaranteed upon signing, earned over two years.
Because they’re fully guaranteed, the 53-man per-game roster bonuses in 2014 and 2015 don’t give the Redskins any extra protection -- unless Jackson gets suspended. Even if that happens, the team would have been protected via guaranteed base salaries. The thinking is that the devices, while ultimately meaningless, could be a way to make the player think he’s got more at stake than he really does.
In 2016, Jackson has the same terms as 2015, without the guarantees: $3.75 million base salary, $500,000 workout bonus, $3.75 million 53-man roster bonus. It adds up to a three-year, $24 million contract.
There’s also a fourth-year that automatically voids. That allows the Redskins to push $1.25 million of the signing bonus into 2017, which in turn keeps the cap charges lower in 2014, 2015, and 2016.
For 2014, the cap charge is $4.25 million. For 2015 and 2016, it’ll be $9.25 million each year.
Under the circumstances, it’s a very good deal for DeSean. Especially since there’s a good chance that, instead of multiple other suitors willing to pay big money (“mystery” or otherwise), Jackson in actuality had a crazy handful of nothin’.