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| Tuesday, October 17 Associated Press | |||
| ASHBURN, Va. -- The wacky nature of NFL contracts has hit a
new high.
Running back Stephen Davis' new deal with Washington is the
first in league history to have a maximum value of more than $100
million, although realistically it is worth much less.
The Redskins formally announced the deal Monday. Strictly by the
numbers, the contract covers nine years at $90.75 million with an
extra $45 million available in incentives, making the total
possible package worth a staggering $135.75 million.
However, only the $6.5 million signing bonus is guaranteed. The
deal is otherwise purposely designed to be renegotiated early and
often to keep the team from bursting the salary cap.
"They can live with this contract the first two years, that's
the way we created it," said Steve Weinberg, Davis' agent. "They
don't have to go to Stephen Davis in 2000 or 2001 to create some
cap room."
Nearly all major NFL contracts have similar structures designed
to bend the cap as much as possible. The previous most lucrative
contract is believed to be the nine-year, $85.5 million deal signed
last year by Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, and Aikman
almost certainly will be long retired before that one expires.
A more realistic estimate of the worth of Davis' contract is
three years at $15.75 million, with incentives that could max out
to $32.55 million. The contract actually gives the Redskins about
$800,000 more cap room for this season than Davis' previous
one-year, $3.532 million deal, possibly allowing the team to get to
work on a new multiyear agreement with quarterback Brad Johnson.
Weinberg and director of player personnel Vinny Cerrato tried to
avoid the media glare by negotiating last week at a Baltimore
restaurant, where the waiter thought his customers were two guys
talking over a fantasy football trade.
The fantasy turned into reality when the deal was signed just
before Saturday's 4 p.m. deadline, putting the contract in effect
for Sunday's season opener. The talks had at times been very
acrimonious -- Davis walked out of one session in February when he
felt insulted by a low-ball offer -- and the fourth-year running
back nearly nixed the deal with only 30 minutes to go Saturday
before one final sticking point was resolved.
"It's a big relief," Davis said. "It's let me know how far
I've come."
Nearly overshadowed by all the numbers is Davis' story of
perseverance. Drafted in the fourth round out of Auburn -- it still
stings that he didn't go higher -- Davis worked his way up the
ladder as the ultimate team player. He didn't gripe when he had to
play behind Terry Allen. He handled the humiliating sucker-punch at
the hands of teammate Michael Westbrook about as well as anyone
could. He even played fullback for a season when the starter was
injured during training camp.
Last year, Davis won the running back job over Skip Hicks and
rushed for a team-record 1,405 yards despite missing the last two
regular season games with a bad ankle. The injury wasn't healed in
time for the playoffs, but he played anyway and rushed for 119
yards against Detroit. He also went to the Pro Bowl.
Davis is a patient runner with excellent vision, often getting
five yards when the play is blocked for three. On Sunday, he put an
exclamation point on his new contract with a bruising 133-yard
performance in a 20-17 victory over Carolina, with 98 of the yards
coming in the second half.
"This has been a long fight for him," coach Norv Turner said.
"He's worked hard the last few years to get to this point."
Davis was upset in February when the Redskins designated him
their franchise player, restricting his value on the open market.
He walked out when the team proposed $15 million over three years,
and held out for two days of training camp before signing the
one-year contract to get on the field.
| ALSO SEE
Well-paid Davis gives back in Redskins' opening win | ||