In the wake of the extension signed by 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, one of the biggest questions being kicked around is what the deal will mean for other quarterbacks whose contracts are close to expiring.
The contract came after just 23 starts and can be worth up to $126 million over seven years, but has numerous outs for the 49ers and de-escalators that can drop the total value well below the $126 million figure. Andy Dalton, one of the quarterbacks who is looking for a new contract, says he’s less concerned about the numbers than the fact that the 49ers and Kaepernick were able to find middle ground and get a deal done.
“I think the biggest thing is it got done,” Dalton said, via NFL.com. “That’s one thing that you see — they took the time and were able to find a middle ground and get it done. I’m hopeful that’ll happen for me soon.”
It doesn’t sound like it would be a deal breaker if the Bengals take a page from the 49ers’ playbook and offer a contract with incentives in hopes of forging their own meeting place with Dalton.
“You have to have confidence in yourself to be able to do things,” Dalton said, via the team’s website. “I think he’s confident enough he’ll be able to play out the whole contract and he’s going to be able to earn everything. For me, I feel the same way. I feel like I’m confident in what I’m able to do. … But you can’t even talk about [structure] right now.”
A contract that pays Dalton at least in part based on what he achieves on the field would likely be more agreeable to the Bengals than one that pays “Jay Cutler money,” but the wait for an agreement (or an agreement not to reach an agreement) continues in Cincinnati.