ESPN: QB Bulger agrees to 6-yr $62.5 million deal with St. Louis

[WoodysGirl]

Bulger remains in St. Louis with six-year deal
By Chris Mortensen
ESPN

(Archive)
Updated: July 27, 2007, 12:19 PM ET
Comment
Email
Print

St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger, who skipped a mandatory meeting Thursday when the team reported to training camp, has agreed in principle to a six-year, $62.5 million contract that secures his future in St. Louis beyond 2007.

Bulger's new deal includes $26.5 million in guaranteed money, sources said. He participated in the team's first on-field practice Friday morning after missing Thursday's meeting meeting when the Rams reported to camp.

Bulger had recently suggested he could stage a training camp holdout only to soften the threat, but when he missed the meeting Thursday it raised the specter of a looming camp absence even though Rams coach Scott Linehan described it as "excused ... for personal reasons."

Bulger had one year remaining on a four-year, $19.1 million contract. His agent, Tom Condon, was finalizing contract language on the new deal this morning with Rams general manager Jay Zygmunt.

With a $10.25 million average salary, Bulger's new contract would place him in elite company, just behind Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer, Michael Vick, Tom Brady and Brett Favre as quarterbacks who make $10 million or more on average per year.




Chris Mortensen covers the NFL for ESPN.

LINK

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

Congrats to the former Mountaineer.

 

[AsthmaField]

Well... if Romo does well this year... this pretty much sets the bar for his price.

 

[Ren]

Romo is going to cost us now

 

[aikemirv]

That just made the Cowboys negotiations with Romo much easier IMO.

 

[AbeBeta]

Well... if Romo does well this year... this pretty much sets the bar for his price.

Romo is not going to play out the year without a new deal. Jerry doesn't play things that way.

 

[burmafrd]

I can see JJ right now calling Romo's agent and saying " Lets make a deal".

 

[Doomsday101]

I still think Jerry and Romo agent get a deal done before the start of the season.

 

[cobra]

I don't think Romo gets a deal until bye week. He needs to show us what he has for a half season.

 

[tomson75]

If Romo gets out there and performs well over five or six games this year, I'd be more than happy to sign him to a similar contract. IMO, that would be a steal.

 

[BouncingCheese]

Romo shouldn't expect as much money as Bulger is getting...

At least Bulger has had a few years of being VERY consistent.

If Romo gets Shaub's deal, it still sounds like too much to me, but at least it is more bearable than to think that Romo wil be asking for as much as Bulger will be getting.

 

[AbeBeta]

That just made the Cowboys negotiations with Romo much easier IMO.

Yes -- this deal is a good comparison -- people point to the Schaub deal but that one is back loaded and not really huge when it gets broken down to real money.

Romo doesn't have several good years like Bulger but he's got the personality and that counts a ton

 

[superpunk]

This is good - sets a standard, along with Schaub's deal for what Romo is worth. Knowing that, I think it won't be long until we have a deal for him.

 

[YosemiteSam]

I say sign him now to deal with only enough guaranteed money that will be paid out within the first two years of the contract. If he doesn't workout, you can cut him after two years. Six years $65M with $20M guaranteed. Within two years all the guaranteed money will be paid out and you can cut him after that. The only issue is if he bombs this year, you're still stuck with him next year at another $10M. I don't think that will be the case and I say that objectively rather than with Cowboys bias. He is good enough to be worth somewhere close to that money at his worst. Even if he were only actually worth $7M a year, you arn't overpaying that much and as noted. You can cut your losses after the second year.

 

[AsthmaField]

Romo is not going to play out the year without a new deal. Jerry doesn't play things that way.

Yeah, I realize he likely won't. I just didn't want to go through all of the different options we might do with Tony (ie before the season, during the season, etc.)

The main point I wanted to make is that I think Tony ends up around those numbers, whenever he does sign.

 

[burmafrd]

Romo has ALREADY done a lot more then Schaub ever has. So he will clearly make a lot more. Bulger's deal gives them a ceiling- no way that Romo deserves that much money. Say 6 years at 50 million. Say with a $15 mill bonus and lots of incentives.

 

[AbeBeta]

Romo shouldn't expect as much money as Bulger is getting...

At least Bulger has had a few years of being VERY consistent.

If Romo gets Shaub's deal, it still sounds like too much to me, but at least it is more bearable than to think that Romo wil be asking for as much as Bulger will be getting.

Romo is 3 years younger than Bulger and has star power.

Shaub's deal had a 7 mill bonus and has a 10 mill option in '10 -- so is realistically a 3 year - 20 mill deal rather than the 6 year 48 mill contract that was reported

I doubt that Bulger took a back loaded deal like this. In fact, reports put his guarantees at 26.5 mill -- about 3 times what Schauby got.

Also, Romo has played far more than Schaub so him getting less is not going to happen.

I look for Romo to get something similar to Bulger -- less guarantee by a small margin but similar yearly #s

 

[dargonking999]

I say sign him now to deal with only enough guaranteed money that will be paid out within the first two years of the contract. If he doesn't workout, you can cut him after two years. Six years $65M with $20M guaranteed. Within two years all the guaranteed money will be paid out and you can cut him after that. The only issue is if he bombs this year, you're still stuck with him next year at another $10M. I don't think that will be the case and I say that objectively rather than with Cowboys bias. He is good enough to be worth somewhere close to that money at his worst. Even if he were only actually worth $7M a year, you arn't overpaying that much and as noted. You can cut your losses after the second year.

You do understand the agent has to agree to this right?

And there isn't an agent thats gonna take that kind of deal.

 

[AbeBeta]

Romo has ALREADY done a lot more then Schaub ever has. So he will clearly make a lot more. Bulger's deal gives them a ceiling- no way that Romo deserves that much money. Say 6 years at 50 million. Say with a $15 mill bonus and lots of incentives.

Only idiots take incentive laden contracts. You could break your leg and then never approach those.

 

[YosemiteSam]

You do understand the agent has to agree to this right?

And there isn't an agent thats gonna take that kind of deal.

Why not? It's a $65M deal and $20M guaranteed. That breaks down to around $11M a year with $20M in guaranteed money. Thats a pretty damn good deal for a QB with around 11 starts under his belt.