When the Bears reached an agreement on an extension for linebacker Danny Trevathan, financial details of the deal were not disclosed. A ballpark figure was offered, but not much more as far as the layout was concerned.
That is, until today, when Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune unearthed the details of Trevathan’s deal. And it’s certainly a doozy, if only from a verbiage standpoint.
Contract filed for #Bears LB Danny Trevathan is actually a 6-year deal but the final 3 years of the contract are fluff and it will automatically void.
Base value for deal is $21.25 million over 3 years.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) March 16, 2020
I mean, how often can you use the word “fluff” in a tweet about a hard-hitting linebacker’s contract? It simply doesn’t happen, my friends. And OTC’s terminology is equally as entertaining, with the explainer that the team “included three dummy years” for cap-management purposes. What a trip!
As for the actual important aspects of the deal, it is a three-year pact worth $21.25 million at base level with $13.625 million in total guarantees. Biggs adds the base salaries for the three years are $3 million for 2020 and 2021, and $2.5 million for 2022. There are also option bonuses of $3.625 million for 2021 and 2022 seasons, both of which can be restructured and changed into base salary. When it all said and done, we are essentially looking at a two-year deal worth nearly $14 million. For an expanded glance at what the deal ultimately looks like, check out the work from OverTheCap.com.
Overall, it is difficult to be mad about a deal like this, which offers some team flexibility while keeping a productive player and team leader at a modest price without having to fend off bidders on the open market.
Elsewhere, details regarding Nick Kwiatkoski’s deal with the Raiders is out:
LB Nick Kwiatkoski deal to the #Raiders: Three years, $21 million with $13.5 million in guarantees. More available in incentives.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 16, 2020
I’m not quite sure if the structure will be similar to that of Trevathan’s deal, but it there are more similarities to what Trevathan received in his deal than I otherwise would have expected. Kwiatkoski is younger and has been more often healthy recently, but doesn’t have the extended track record as a starter. Perhaps those reasons would explain why Kwiatkoski didn’t get an even larger contract. In any case, the Bears keep a popular player and watch one sign elsewhere, which could help them in their quest to secure a compensatory draft pick in 2021 depending on how the rest of free agency shakes out.