I have confirmed a Pro Football Talk report that before the Broncos signed Aqib Talib to a six-year, $57 million contract, they offered their own Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie a six-year $54 deal.
And it’s true, Rodgers-Cromartie turned it down. But before slamming Rodgers-Cromartie or his agent Eugene Parker, the six-year, $54 million proposal was not what it seemed. No, NFL contract is what it seems.
First, Parker has long been considered one of the NFL’s premier agents. He has represented Deion Sanders and Rod Woodson. He currently represents Larry Fitzgerald and Jairus Byrd. Parker just got a six-year, $54 deal done for Byrd with New Orleans. Parker knows six year, $54 million contracts.
Byrd’s six-year, $54 million deal was structured in such a way that the is all but guaranteed $27.9 million through three years. Rodgers-Cromartie’s six-year, $54 million proposal from the Broncos was essentially a one year, $10 million guarantee.
The Broncos’ contracts are very well structured. The team is more than fair, even generous, to the player in year one, but then the Broncos protect the team interests after that. This is smart, clean business by general manager John Elway and Broncos’ contract guru Mike Sullivan, the unsung star of the team’s recent free-agent haul of defensive standouts.
What we have come to know about Elway is he won’t hesitate to move on if he doesn’t feel negotiations are going well. This is a guy who sharpened his transaction acumen in the car business. Jared Allen found this out as the Broncos wound up signing DeMarcus Ware instead.
It also should be noted that included in the $10 million, first-year money to Rodgers-Cromartie was a $5 million signing bonus that would have carried future salary cap ramifications and made it extremely difficult for the Broncos to release the cornerback after the first year.
So Rodgers-Cromartie would have made $16 million after two years. And then it would have been $24 million over three years.
That’s the deal Rodgers-Cromartie turned down. The other $30 million over final three years was essentially fluff.
Talib and strong safety T.J. Ward didn’t have a problem with the Broncos’ structure. Talib’s six-year, $57 million contract is really one year and $12 million, two years and $18 million and three years and $27 million. His final three years and $30 million are fluff.
At 5 p.m. Tuesday, Talib had never heard from the Broncos. By 9:15 p.m. Tuesday, they had the deal done.
