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The Buffalo Bills addressed their run-defending spot in the middle of their defensive line with DaQuan Jones.
The 30-year-old defensive tackle signed a three-year deal with the team. However, like a few other recent signees, there’s a couple important layers to note in his contract.
While the deal was for three years, it’s really only for two. The final one in 2024 includes a void year which helps spread out the salary cap hits.
And in a way, this contract is for two years, almost fully guaranteed because of the salary cap. We’ll get there.
According to Spotrac, Jones’ deal carries a low base salary in 2022, $1.75 million, fully guaranteed. However, $5.5M will go to him via signing bonus as well.
Then in the second year, Jones’ base salary jumps to $6.75M. Of that, $3.375M is guaranteed, bringing the total guaranteed figure to $10.625M.
Combined over the two seasons, Jones essentially has a two-year, $14M contract locked in.
Where the true “guaranteed” part comes into play because of the salary cap savings… or lack thereof. Over the course of the two seasons he’s signed to be in Buffalo, the team won’t really save any dollars on the cap by letting him go.
Here’s how the year-by-year salary cap figures look for Jones’ contract. The potential savings for the Bills would come from taking the difference between the cap hit and dead cap hit, which is essentially non-existent on his deal:
- 2022: $3.58M ($10.6M dead cap)
- 2023: $8.56M ($7.041 M dead cap)
- 2024 void year cap hit: $1.8M
The Bills do have the option to release Jones at any time, it just wouldn’t make much sense.
By comparison, now former Bills defensive lineman Harrison Phillips, who signed with the Minnesota Vikings. His deal is three years and worth $19.5M.
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