Friday, April 12, 2002

Money matters

Where a player is drafted will determine the size of his paychecks

By Keith Schleiden, Managing editor

The players in the first round will not receive any money next Saturday from the team that drafts them. There will likely be months of tough negotiating over the term of the contract the player will sign. But no matter what kind of haggling takes place, the player will likely wind up being given a figure a little lower than the player taken ahead of him, but a little more than the player taken after him. Those figures will largely be determined on what the player taken at his draft position last year received. Usually, there is a slight increase from year to year at each draft position.

So let’s take a look at what some of last year’s first-rounders received, and project what this year’s rookies will net on their first pro contracts. We will use Joel Buchsbaum’s latest mock draft (April 12) to determine where players will be selected. You will notice that the total dollars involved in the first few contracts listed are extremely high. Those deals include buy-back options and other details that can inflate the value of the contract. After the top five picks, things become a little more straightforward.

1. QB David Carr to Houston

Last year QB Michael Vick received a complicated contract that spans six years and could wind up paying him as much as $62 million. He received an initial signing bonus of $3 million but has already cashed another multimillion-dollar check that came from an option the Falcons picked up.

2. DE Julius Peppers to Carolina

Last year the Cardinals gave OT Leonard Davis a six-year, $35 million contract that included $9.25 million in bonuses.

3. CB Quentin Jammer to Detroit

Last year the Browns gave DT Gerard Warren a six-year, $33.6 million deal that included $12 million in guaranteed bonuses.

4. OT Mike Williams to Buffalo

Last year DE Justin Smith held out for most of training camp before signing a deal with the Bengals. Unfortunately, I don’t have those figures.

5. OT Bryant McKinnie to San Diego

Last year the Chargers gave RB LaDainian Tomlinson a six-year, $38 million deal that included a $10.5 million signing bonus.

6. DT Albert Haynesworth to Dallas

Last year the Patriots gave DT Richard Seymour a six-year, $14.3 million contract that included a $4.8 million signing bonus.

7. CB Phillip Buchanon to Minnesota

Last year the 49ers gave DE Andre Carter a five-year, $11.6 million contract that included a $3.2 million signing bonus.

8. DT Ryan Sims to Kansas City

Last year the Bears gave WR David Terrell a five-year, $11.5 million contract that included a $7 million signing bonus.

9. DT John Henderson to Jacksonville

Last year the Seahawks gave WR Koren Robinson a six-year, $10.1 million contract that included a $4 million signing bonus.

10. QB Joey Harrington to Cincinnati

Last year the Packers gave DE Jamel Reynolds a five-year, $9.01 million contract that included a $4 million signing bonus. Because Harrington is a quarterback, he could see a little more money in his rookie deal.

11. DT Wendell Bryant to Indianapolis

Last year the Panthers gave LB Dan Morgan a five-year, $8.75 million contract that included a $4.1 million signing bonus.

12. S Roy Williams to Arizona

Last year the Rams gave DT Damione Lewis a four-year, $7.5 million contract that included a $5.4 million signing bonus.

13. DE Charles Grant to New Orleans

Last year the Jaguars gave DT Marcus Stroud a five-year, $8.48 million contract that included a $2 million signing bonus.

14. WR Donté Stallworth to Tennessee

Last year the Buccaneers gave OT Kenyatta Walker a five-year, $8 million contract that included a $4.1 million signing bonus.

15. OT Levi Jones to N.Y. Giants

Last year the Redskins gave WR Rod Gardner a five-year, $7 million contract. The amount of the signing bonus was undisclosed.

16. RB T.J. Duckett to Cleveland

Last year the Jets gave WR Santana Moss a five-year, $7.1 million contract that included a $3.4 million signing bonus.

17. WR Ashley Lelie to Atlanta

Last year the Seahawks gave OG Steve Hutchinson a five-year, $6.7 million contract that included a $3.3 million signing bonus.

18. OG Toniu Fonoti to Washington

Last year the Lions gave OG Jeff Backus a five-year, $6.67 million contract that included a $3.2 million signing bonus.

19. LB Napoleon Harris to Denver

Last year the Steelers gave DT Casey Hampton a five-year, $6.76 million contract that included a $3.09 million signing bonus.

20. TE Jeremy Shockey to Seattle

Last year the Rams gave S Adam Archuleta a five-year, $6.35 million contract that included a $3 million signing bonus.

21. DE Kalimba Edwards to Oakland

Last year the Bills gave CB Nate Clements a five-year, $6.71 million deal that included a $4.15 million signing bonus.

22. S Ed Reed to N.Y. Jets

Last year the Giants gave CB Will Allen a five-year, $6.2 million contract that included a $3.95 million signing bonus.

23. WR Jabar Gaffney to Oakland

Last year the Saints gave RB Deuce McAllister a six-year, $6.2 million contract that included a $3.8 million signing bonus.

24. RB William Green to Baltimore

Last year the Broncos gave CB Willie Middlebrooks a five-year, $5.74 million contract that included a $3 million signing bonus.

25. C-OG Andre Gurode to New Orleans

Last year the Eagles gave WR Freddie Mitchell a six-year, $5.5 million contract that included a $3.5 million signing bonus.

26. RB DeShaun Foster to Philadelphia

Last year the Dolphins gave CB Jamar Fletcher a five-year, $6.5 million contract that included a $2.75 million signing bonus.

27. CB Lito Sheppard to San Francisco

Last year the Vikings gave RB Michael Bennett a five-year, $5.19 million contract that included a $2.65 million signing bonus.

28. WR Josh Reed to Green Bay

Last year the Raiders gave S Derrick Gibson a five-year, $6.1 million contract that included a $2.5 million signing bonus.

29. DE Dwight Freeney to Chicago

Last year the Rams gave DT Ryan Pickett a five-year, $5.99 million contract that included a $2.2 million signing bonus.

30. TE Daniel Graham to Pittsburgh

Last year the Colts drafted WR Reggie Wayne, but his contract terms weren’t disclosed.

31. OG Kendall Simmons to St. Louis

Last year the Ravens gave TE Todd Heap a five-year, $6.1 million contract that included a $2.3 million signing bonus.

32. DL Anthony Weaver to New England

And finally, last year there was no 32^nd pick in the first round. The first pick in the second round was QB Drew Brees, taken by the Chargers. The terms of his contract were undisclosed.

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