Romo's contract and the top QB salary numbers

[honyock]

Since there have been a couple of Romo contract threads going this week, I started pulling together his fellow veteran QB's current contract numbers. I listed them from the highest average salary per year to the lowest. This number can be a little misleading, since some qb's will probably never see the end of their contract, when the big base salaries are typically backloaded, and since contracts may get restructured/extended several times over the course of the contract. For example, from the site I drew his numbers, it looks like Romo's contract has been restructured 3 times since he first signed it.

Also, I included the year the contract was signed. It's no accident that the top three per-year contracts were signed since 2010...the market keeps getting set higher. Flacco this year, and Aaron Rogers sometime in the next year or two, should join that upper salary echelon.

Among this group, I'm going to guess that Romo's new deal will land him somewhere north of Schaub and probably between Rivers and Manning, with his guaranteed money somewhere between Schaub's and Rivers'. Just guesses on my part.

Some of these numbers may be off - details on some of them seem to vary according to who you believe - and some may have been restructured since the original contract and not be so accurate anymore. I was going to list each qb's age at the time of signing his contract, but it's late and I'm done with Google for now. Here they are:


Drew Brees (2012) $20M/year, 5 yr/$100 million, $60M guaranteed (with a couple of highly unlikely-to-be-triggered team opt outs before he gets the full $60M.)

Peyton Manning (2012) $19.2M per year 5/$96 $18M - $58M guaranteed. (1st year $18M salary guaranteed. Salaries for years two and three ($40M) guaranteed if he passes physical in March 2013. Final two years unguaranteed. Essentially a 3 year/$58M deal.

Tom Brady (2010) $18M/year 4yr/$72M, $48M guaranteed.

Eli Manning (2009) $15.3M/year 7yr/$107M, anywhere from $35M to $48M guaranteed, (hard to interpret the details on his guaranteed money)

Phillip Rivers (2009) $14M/year 7 year/$98.25M, $38M guaranteed

Matt Schaub (2012) $13.3M/year 5 yr/$66M, $29.2M guaranteed (Details of his contract seem to vary a lot from site to site, this should be roughly accurate)

Ben Rothlisberger (2008) $12.75/year 8 yr/$102 $36M guaranteed restructured in 2012

Matt Ryan(2008) $12M/year 6yr/$72M, $34.75M guaranteed

Tony Romo (2008) $11.2m/year, 6 year/$67.4M, $30M guaranteed. Looks like he has been restructured three times.

Aaron Rogers (2008) [/B] $10.8M/year 6yr/$65M, $20M guaranteed.

 

[honyock]

I forgot to include Michael Vick. His contract is a pretty good example of fun with salary cap numbers.

His contract in 2011 was officially a 6 year, $100M deal. But the 6th year had a rider that essentially almost guaranteed it to be voidable, making it in reality a 5 yr/$80M deal. The guaranteed money, reported to be $40M, was actually only fully guaranteed for $32.5M. And after year two, the Eagles can basically walk away easily (which they may do). It will probably turn into a 2 or 3 year/$16M per year contract.

Still good and still puts him in the upper echelon, but he'll probably see significantly less total money, and a much smaller percentage of the total contract, than any of the other QB's in the $14M+per year category. The Eagles basically paid him franchise player money for a couple of years, for the right to walk away if they choose to. His contract is really unique, maybe closer to Peyton's contract but for different reasons, giving huge frontloaded money with the team having the right to opt out early without too much penalty.

 

[burmafrd]

Romo SHOULD get more than Schaub. And rivers. So $15 million a year is what I see coming.

 

[Eddie]

Aaron Rodgers looks like a steal to me.

Do we really want to lock ourselves into a long term contract with a 33 year old QB with declining skills and an inability to play big when it counts???

 

[panchucko]

Aaron Rodgers looks like a steal to me.

I bet he gets his later this year or next year. No way are the Pack going to let him get away

 

[Eddie]

I bet he gets his later this year or next year. No way are the Pack going to let him get away

Tru dat.

But for the moment, he's on his second contract. Looks like a bargain. His next one won't be a bargain.

 

[zack]

Romo SHOULD get more than Schaub. And rivers. So $15 million a year is what I see coming.

He should get more than Schaub, Rivers and Eli and I think that will be a fair number.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I think he'll get more then 15 simply because he will not get as long of a contract as some these others. 5 years is probably about the maximum I would try to sign him for. That will mean more money per season and a higher guaranteed portion IMO.

 

[Tezz]

The Cowboys hold leverage they can franchise Romo next season and by the time he plays for another team he would be 35. I think that will have an affect on a possible contract extension...

 

[Deep_South]

The Cowboys hold leverage they can franchise Romo next season and by the time he plays for another team he would be 35. I think that will have an affect on a possible contract extension...

I would say it depends entirely on how he plays the season he is 34.

 

[juck]

Aaron Rodgers looks like a steal to me.

Do we really want to lock ourselves into a long term contract with a 33 year old QB with declining skills and an inability to play big when it counts???

Exactly. No way!