The Indianapolis Colts made the aggressive move of trading a first-round pick for defensive tackle DeForest Buckner while immediately signing him to a four-year extension.
Some of the details were murky at the beginning, but it seems we got some clarification on the new deal for Buckner, who was entering his fifth-year option with the San Francisco 49ers.
It appears the Colts gave him a four-year extension worth $84 million with $39,378,000 fully guaranteed at signing, per Over The Cap. Buckner was owed $12,378,000 on his final year with the 49ers. The full guarantees are made up of his 2020 salary ($12,378,000), his 2020 roster bonus ($11 million) and a 2021 roster bonus ($16 million). That second roster bonus for the 2021 season becomes guaranteed on March 22, 2020.
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If Buckner is on the roster on the fifth league day in March 2021, he gets a $5 million roster bonus guaranteed for the 2022 season. That’s the last of his guaranteed money taking his guarantees up to a max of $44,378,000.
The Colts did a fantastic job with this contract. There is no guaranteed money after the 2022 season and all of it is front-loaded. Given that the salary cap is expected to rise each year, this deal will soon look like a bargain.
In the final three seasons of the contract extension (2022–2024), there is no dead money if the Colts decide to part ways for some reason. Hopefully, it doesn’t come to that and the Colts get their production out of the deal, but it is nice to know they are protected in the future.
So essentially, the Colts took on Buckner’s fifth-year option and then gave him a four-year, $84 million extension. They front-loaded the guarantees to protect themselves in the future while Buckner gets his guaranteed money up front.
It’s a strong deal for both sides in what is expected to be a fruitful addition to the defensive line.