On Thursday, the New England Patriots came to terms on a two-year extension worth up to $9 million with offensive tackle Marcus Cannon, as was first reported by colleague and ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
Below is a breakdown of the contract, which locks him up through the 2016 season.
The deal includes a $3.2 million signing bonus to be paid out in three installments: $1.2 million upon agreement, $1 million on March 31, 2015 and $1 million on October 31, 2015. The signing bonus accounts for all the guaranteed money in the deal and is spread out over three years as it relates to the salary cap (counting $1.066 million against the cap from 2014-2016).
2015 breakdown
Base salary: $1.2 million
Roster bonus: $250,000 ($15,625 for each game that he is active)
Weight bonus: $100,000 ($30,000 for making weight on 4/15, $35,000 for making weight on 6/1 and $35,000 for making weight on 7/15)
Playing time incentives: $250,000
2016 breakdown
Base salary: $3.4 million
Roster bonus: $250,000 ($15,625 for each game that he is active)
Weight bonus: $100,000 ($30,000 for making weight on 4/15, $35,000 for making weight on 6/1 and $35,000 for making weight on 7/15)
Playing time incentives: $250,000
Cannon's playing-time incentive is this: He earns the $250,000 each season if he plays more than 80 percent of the offensive snaps. As far as his weight clause is concerned, it's 350 pounds on the first date, 345 on the 2nd and 340 on the third (in both years).
Quick-hit thoughts: Colleague Mike Reiss provided a comprehensive and thorough breakdown of the deal previously, but to add a few more thoughts: The $9 million maximum value is attainable if Cannon assumes a starting role over the next two seasons. With Sebastian Vollmer and Nate Solder under contract through 2015, there's no guarantee that that happens, and while Cannon has had his struggles this season, he was a dominant right tackle during the second half of 2013. The Patriots' philosophy on signing free agents, drafting players or extending players is to seek traits, not production: Cannon has the requisite traits to be a starting-level player for them, and this deal reflects the team's confidence in him going forward.