Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert
Matthew Stafford continues to sit pretty while Jay Cutler licks his chops. That's the NFC North upshot of the league's latest blockbuster quarterback contract.
Stafford
If you measure deals based on guaranteed money, Stafford continues to be the league's highest-paid quarterback -- even after San Diego signed starter Philip Rivers to a market-level extension Monday.
According to ESPN's Len Pasquarelli, Rivers signed a six-year deal worth $92 million. The contract includes between $38 million and $39 million in guarantees. Regardless of the exact figure, there's no question Rivers fell short of Stafford's NFL-record total of $41.7 million in guarantees.
Rivers is the third starting quarterback to sign an extension since Stafford agreed to a six-year deal worth at least $72 million. Kansas City's Matt Cassel signed a six-year deal in July worth $63 million, including $28 million in guarantees. The New York Giants gave Eli Manning a six-year contract worth $97 million, including $35 million in guarantees, earlier this month.
Rivers ($15.3 million) and Manning ($16.1 million) will both earn more on an annual basis than Stafford ($12 million). Annual average is an important benchmark for contracts, but so is guaranteed money. And on that point, Stafford's deal continues to outpace the league. It's one thing if the next quarterback contract had surpassed it. But we're now at three deals and counting that haven't reached the $40 million barrier.
Here is my updated but unofficial rankings for guaranteed money in the NFL:
Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford: $41.7 million
Washington defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth: $41 million
San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers: $38 million
Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick: $37 million*
Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger: $36 million
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning: $35 million
Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan: $34.8 million
Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning: $34.5 million
Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell: $31.5 million
Dallas quarterback Tony Romo $30 million
* Vick now plays for the Eagles under the terms of a different contract.
The longer Stafford's deal remains on the top of that list, the more often you'll hear people cite it as a symbol of the NFL's warped contract structure for top-10 draft picks. The latest to speak out is Indianapolis president Bill Polian, who recently had this to say to the Indianapolis Star:
"I don't know if Matthew Stafford is going to be a good player or not. I hope for the Lions' sake he is and I hope for his sake he is. But if what I read about Eli's contract is correct, [Stafford] will make more guaranteed money than a guy that played in the Super Bowl and was Most Valuable Player. That's crazy. No business can sustain that model very long.''
While Stafford might maintain the guaranteed money title for some time, Cutler knows that the Rivers and Manning deals ultimately will still help him. As we've discussed before, neither he nor Chicago appears in a hurry to extend his current contract, which has three years remaining. But based on recent events, you would assume Cutler would be in line for at least $15 million annually and no less than $35 million in guarantees.
Matthew Stafford continues to sit pretty while Jay Cutler licks his chops. That's the NFC North upshot of the league's latest blockbuster quarterback contract.
Stafford
If you measure deals based on guaranteed money, Stafford continues to be the league's highest-paid quarterback -- even after San Diego signed starter Philip Rivers to a market-level extension Monday.
According to ESPN's Len Pasquarelli, Rivers signed a six-year deal worth $92 million. The contract includes between $38 million and $39 million in guarantees. Regardless of the exact figure, there's no question Rivers fell short of Stafford's NFL-record total of $41.7 million in guarantees.
Rivers is the third starting quarterback to sign an extension since Stafford agreed to a six-year deal worth at least $72 million. Kansas City's Matt Cassel signed a six-year deal in July worth $63 million, including $28 million in guarantees. The New York Giants gave Eli Manning a six-year contract worth $97 million, including $35 million in guarantees, earlier this month.
Rivers ($15.3 million) and Manning ($16.1 million) will both earn more on an annual basis than Stafford ($12 million). Annual average is an important benchmark for contracts, but so is guaranteed money. And on that point, Stafford's deal continues to outpace the league. It's one thing if the next quarterback contract had surpassed it. But we're now at three deals and counting that haven't reached the $40 million barrier.
Here is my updated but unofficial rankings for guaranteed money in the NFL:
Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford: $41.7 million
Washington defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth: $41 million
San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers: $38 million
Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick: $37 million*
Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger: $36 million
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning: $35 million
Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan: $34.8 million
Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning: $34.5 million
Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell: $31.5 million
Dallas quarterback Tony Romo $30 million
* Vick now plays for the Eagles under the terms of a different contract.
The longer Stafford's deal remains on the top of that list, the more often you'll hear people cite it as a symbol of the NFL's warped contract structure for top-10 draft picks. The latest to speak out is Indianapolis president Bill Polian, who recently had this to say to the Indianapolis Star:
"I don't know if Matthew Stafford is going to be a good player or not. I hope for the Lions' sake he is and I hope for his sake he is. But if what I read about Eli's contract is correct, [Stafford] will make more guaranteed money than a guy that played in the Super Bowl and was Most Valuable Player. That's crazy. No business can sustain that model very long.''
While Stafford might maintain the guaranteed money title for some time, Cutler knows that the Rivers and Manning deals ultimately will still help him. As we've discussed before, neither he nor Chicago appears in a hurry to extend his current contract, which has three years remaining. But based on recent events, you would assume Cutler would be in line for at least $15 million annually and no less than $35 million in guarantees.
Sort comments by: Most Recent | First Posted
Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Kevin Seifert
Seifert joined ESPN.com in 2008 after covering the Minnesota Vikings for the Minneapolis Star Tribune for eight years. He lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and daughter.