You know the drill by now. Initial reports on the value of a contract often are exaggerated (since they usually come from the player’s agent).
Patriots receiver Julian Edelman’s new deal vaguely was sold in some circles as a two-year, $18 million extension. The truth is that Edelman’s contract as extended has a base value of less than $18 million over the next three years.
Albert Breer of SI.com posted the numbers earlier today. In actuality, it’s a three-year, $17.925 million contract, that can spike to $24.925 million.
The deal includes an $8 million signing bonus, a $1 million base salary in 2019, a $375,000 roster bonus in 2019, a $3.3 million base salary in 2020 ($3 million of which is fully guaranteed), a $675,000 roster bonus in 2020, a $2.8 million base salary in 2021, a $675,000 roster bonus in 2021, workout bonuses of $500,000 in 2019, $300,000 in 2020, and $300,000 in 2021, and incentives worth up to $7 million.
To get the full $7 million, Edelman must catch more than 90 passes this year, more than 100 passes in 2020, more than 100 passes in 2021, and make it to the Pro Bowl in 2020 and 2021.
It’s clearly a team-friendly deal, keeping with the team’s habit of getting key players to take less, so that more money is available not just for other key players but for backups who have real experience and who will perform more reliably than undrafted free agents and other assorted low-level contributors. Which is one of the reasons why the Patriots consistently compete for championships.