Tag: guarantees

Saints guaranteed more money to Joe Bachie than most NFL undrafted free agents

The New Orleans Saints guaranteed $160,000 to Michigan State linebacker Joe Bachie, one of the NFL’s highest-paid undrafted free agent deals

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The hours after the NFL draft are a maelstrom, with agents, media, fans, and the players themselves all jockeying to announce deals between rookie free agents and the teams working quickly to recruit them. Those discussions often manifest in bidding wars as teams make competing offers for players, guaranteeing greater portions of their base salary or lucrative signing bonuses.

In 2020, that meant the Saints paid a few of their undrafted free agents like seventh-round picks, particularly valuing Michigan State linebacker Joe Bachie (who received $160,000 in guarantees, making him one of the NFL’s highest-paid college free agents). Versatile Oregon offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton was also guaranteed $122,5000 by the Saints. Bachie and Throckmorton were the only members of the rookie free agent class to break the $100,000 threshold in guarantees, though a few others came close. That suggests the team valued them highly and expects each rookie to make a strong case for a roster spot.

For comparison, last year’s final draft pick, Idaho linebacker Kaden Elliss, was guaranteed only a $76,316 signing bonus. The Saints also picked Notre Dame tight end Alize Mack a few slots ahead of Elliss in the seventh round, who was guaranteed a $93,636 signing bonus, though he was later cut from the practice squad and has since bounced around between a few other teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs.

Here are the reported guarantees for each member of the Saints undrafted free agent class. All have a base salary of $610,000, though greater portions of that are guaranteed for some than others. They are ordered by guaranteed salaries, with signing bonuses noted in parentheses:

  1. LB Joe Bachie, Michigan State: $145,000 guaranteed salary (plus $15,000 signing bonus)
  2. OL Calvin Throckmorton, Oregon: $110,000 guaranteed salary (plus $12,500 signing bonus)
  3. DL Malcolm Roach, Texas: $85,000 guaranteed salary (plus $10,000 signing bonus)
  4. WR Marquez Callaway, Tennessee, $85,000 guaranteed salary (plus $10,000 signing bonus)
  5. OL Jordan Steckler, Northern Illinois: $75,000 guaranteed salary (plus $15,000 signing bonus)
  6. WR Juwan Johnson, Oregon: $75,000 guaranteed salary (plus $10,000 signing bonus)
  7. CB Tino Ellis, Maryland: $17,500 guaranteed
  8. DE Gus Cumberlander, Oregon: $1,500 signing bonus
  9. CB Keith Washington Jr., West Virginia: TBD
  10. P Blake Gillikin, Penn State: TBD
  11. RB Tony Jones Jr., Notre Dame: TBD
  12. OL Adrian Magee, LSU: TBD
  13. OL Darrin Paulo, Utah: TBD

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Details on agreed-upon contract between Saints, Malcolm Jenkins

The New Orleans Saints signed Eagles free agent Malcolm Jenkins to a four-year contract, bringing the veteran safety back where he started.

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The New Orleans Saints and free agent safety Malcolm Jenkins agreed to terms on a four-year, $32 million contract extension on Wednesday, reports Jordan Schultz of ESPN. Jenkins can earn up to $35 million over the life of the contract if he meets incentives for playing time and team wins, tying his personal success to the Saints’ overall success.

Additionally, $16.25 million of the deal is guaranteed at signing — the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane reports that $9 million of those guarantees are tied to a signing bonus, which is prorated over each of the four years of the contract. While his exact 2020 salary cap figure can’t be calculated until later, this deal ensures Jenkins will be around in New Orleans for at least the next two years.

And that’s interesting considering the landscape of the Saints defense. C.J. Gardner-Johnson is looking to earn more playing time in his second season in the NFL, while Marcus Williams is entering the final year of his rookie contract and would like to audition for a long-term commitment from the Saints.

If Jenkins is still able to play at a high level, he could push Gardner-Johnson to another position (like slot corner) or give the Saints an insurance policy in case they can’t work out a mulityear contract extension with Williams. It’s a smart move all around, and should help the defense remain a strength of the team in 2020.

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Drew Brees agrees with Saints on contract extension through 2021

The New Orleans Saints and Hall of Fame-bound quarterback Drew Brees agreed on a contract extension that will run through the 2021 season.

The biggest domino of the New Orleans Saints offseason has fallen. Drew Brees and the Saints have agreed on a two-year, $50 million contract extension that will ensure the Hall of Fame-bound quarterback finishes his career in the Crescent City. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport first reported the blockbuster deal’s completion.

This move is important for several reasons; first and foremost, the Saints finally have a quarterback under contract for the 2020 season, allowing them to field an offense at complete strength. Besides that obvious bonus, the structure in Brees’ new deal changes his salary cap hit, giving the Saints a better idea of the resources they can spend in free agency.

Like his previous contract, Brees is taking this one year-to-year to with the Saints, meaning that the team will not be shackled to an aging quarterback who will leave a mountain of dead money on the books once he’s retired. Even though the Saints will have to work around the cap space still committed to Brees when his playing days are over, the continued rise in the salary cap (set at $198.2 million for 2020) means it won’t be as serious a hurdle as it could have been.

And this deal is even more team-friendly than the structure suggests. Brees could have easily earned $30 million or more per year on the open market, but his decision to settle for just $25 million in annual salary presents something of a discount for the Saints. That valuable capital will do a lot to help them retain their own pending free agents as well as sign veteran additions.

All told: it’s as great a deal as Brees and the Saints could hope to agree on at this stage in his career. Brees gives New Orleans its best chance at winning another Super Bowl, and the unique structure and finances of his contract presents much-needed flexibility against a tight salary cap. Here’s hoping the Saints can send Brees out with another championship celebration parade.

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