The Green Bay Packers paid cornerback Sam Shields all right. As you well know, he got a four-year deal worth $39 million. That included a $12.5 million signing bonus.
What we didn’t know until today is how the deal breaks down. Tom Silverstein was the first to report the particulars, as far as we know.
Initially, the first-year compensation was reported to be $15 million. We figured that equaled a pretty huge hit to this year’s salary cap. Not the case. The contract will become a salary cap burden in its later years though.
Here are the most important number as they pertain to the Packers — the salary cap numbers.
- 2014: $5.562,500
- 2015: $9.125 million
- 2016: $12.125 million
- 2017: $12.125 million
The deal averages $9.75 million per season, which currently has Shields tied for the third-highest paid corner in the league. It also makes him the third-highest paid player on the Packers after Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews.
Here are how the base salaries break down.
- 2014: $1.5 million
- 2015: $2.5 million
- 2016: $8 million
- 2017: $8 million
You’re probably wondering how the hell the salary cap numbers jump up from those base salaries. Well, first the signing bonus is spread over all four years of the contract, so you can add $3.125 million to each base salary.
You can also add some roster bonus money. Silverstein says Shields will get a $2.5 million bonus in 2015 and $500,000 bonuses in all four seasons of the deal. Those bonuses are providing he’s on the roster for all 16 games, of course.
There are also $500,000 workout bonuses in all four years of the deal.
So, Shields better be an All-Pro by the second year of this deal.