Inside the CMC Contract

[NAS]

Not bad, what do you think?

Article from PFT

The new contract between the Panthers and running back Christian McCaffrey has become official. And the deal does indeed make McCaffrey the highest-paid running back in football.

The details of the deal, per a source with knowledge of it, follow. Following that, some analysis.

1. Signing bonus: $21.5 million.

2. 2020 base salary: $825,000, fully guaranteed.

3. 2021 base salary: $8.0375 million, $7.7375 million of which is fully guaranteed at signing.

4. 2022 base salary: $8.4 million, $8.1 million of which is guaranteed for injury at signing. The $8.1 million becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2021 (not 2022) league year.

5. 2023 base salary: $11.8 million, $1 million of which is guaranteed for injury at signing.

6. 2024 base salary: $11.8 million.

7. 2025 base salary: $12 million.

8. 2021-25 workout bonuses: $200,000 per year.

The four-year extension has $30.0625 million fully guaranteed at signing. Another $8.1 million becomes fully guaranteed next March, making the practical guarantee $38.1625 million. (The Panthers could avoid owing him $38.1625 million only by cutting McCaffrey after one year, and paying him $30.625 million, with offset language subject to the $7.7375 million guarantee in 2021.)

The contract has a new-money average of $16.01853 million for the new four years. The full contract has a value of 75.36 million over five years, based on the $11.299 million McCaffrey was due to earn in 2020 and 2021.

The full guarantee at signing ($30 million and change) represents nearly 40 percent of the full value of the deal, which isn’t typical for tailback contracts. Instead, receivers are more likely to have a full guarantee in the range of 40 percent of the total deal.

Also, McCaffrey got his new deal after only three seasons, without a holdout or any other public ugliness. It’s a testament to Panthers owner David Tepper, who recognized that McCaffrey is a high-talent, high-integrity core player who will be part of the franchise’s nucleus for years to come. McCaffrey’s compensation packages recognizes his importance to the offense, especially as the team transitions from Cam Newtonto Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback.

Since McCaffrey is still only 23 years old, he’ll have a chance at another new deal at some point before he turns 29. If he remains healthy and effective, yet another big payday could happen down the road.

With plenty of other running backs closing in on new deals, McCaffrey has set a bar that may be hard to surpass, especially if the salary cap takes a hit in 2021 based on reduced revenues in 2020.

[TheCasillas]

Considering our cap situation in coming years, this was a good deal. The price would have been about 20-30% higher if we would have waited another year, assuming he has another great year. He will account for less than 5% of our total cap for the next 4 years.

[mrcompletely11]

Seems to be front loaded which is nice.   Could be worse I admit. 

[steven8989]

I loved it when it happened and love it even more now. People on here damn complaining about the deal, I tried to tell everyone it was going to average to around 12 mil a year with 2 years left. We got a damn steal for best RB in league.

[mrcompletely11]

3 minutes ago, steven8989 said:

I loved it when it happened and love it even more now. People on here damn complaining about the deal, I tried to tell everyone it was going to average to around 12 mil a year with 2 years left. We got a damn steal for best RB in league.

True but keep in mind we were having lsd flashbacks because it was hurney giving a RB a new deal.  That always sends a shiver up my spine.  Seems like he got this one right though.

[NAS]

13 minutes ago, mrcompletely11 said:

True but keep in mind we were having lsd flashbacks because it was hurney giving a RB a new deal.  That always sends a shiver up my spine.  Seems like he got this one right though.

I understand but he’s no longer in the driver’s seat.   There’s now Coach Rhule and a capologist.

[steven8989]

15 minutes ago, mrcompletely11 said:

True but keep in mind we were having lsd flashbacks because it was hurney giving a RB a new deal.  That always sends a shiver up my spine.  Seems like he got this one right though.

Yeah hopefully that new cap guy we hired is helping we these contracts. I think they work this one to perfection.

[mrcompletely11]

1 minute ago, NAS said:

I understand but he’s no longer in the driver’s seat.   There’s now Coach Rhule and a capologist.

If hurney is still in the building then I am still scared. 

[bababoey]

26 minutes ago, mrcompletely11 said:

Seems to be front loaded which is nice.   Could be worse I admit. 

Not really front loaded at all.  Actually middle loaded if there is such a thing.

Cap Hit for the following years by doing math is:

2020: 5.125 million

2021: 12.34 million

2022: 12.7 million

2023: 16.1 million

2024: 16.1 million

2025: 12.0 million

Can be cut in 2024 with only 4.3 million dead money and 2025 with 0 dead money.  I am sure there are incentives and bonuses in there but that was just from doing the numbers from above.  Really not a bad deal at all.

[mrcompletely11]

3 minutes ago, bababoey said:

Not really front loaded at all.  Actually middle loaded if there is such a thing.

Cap Hit for the following years by doing math is:

2020: 5.125 million

2021: 12.34 million

2022: 12.7 million

2023: 16.1 million

2024: 16.1 million

2025: 12.0 million

Can be cut in 2024 with only 4.3 million dead money and 2025 with 0 dead money.  I am sure there are incentives and bonuses in there but that was just from doing the numbers from above.  Really not a bad deal at all.

Maybe I am reading it wrong but the deal starts after his rookie one right?  So thats when the money is kicks up and we can cut him after 2023.  I could be wrong but thats how I read it. 

[bababoey]

11 minutes ago, mrcompletely11 said:

Maybe I am reading it wrong but the deal starts after his rookie one right?  So thats when the money is kicks up and we can cut him after 2023.  I could be wrong but thats how I read it. 

You can cut him anytime.  When you sign a guy the signing bonus can be spread out over 5 years.  I read that as if the signing bonus kicks in this year. So 4.3 million per year until 2024.  You could cut him in 2023 with 9.6 million dead money (8.6 from the signing bonus + 1 million base guaranteed at signing).  That's how I read it.  But PFT won't have all the details so there is lot's that could be wrong with that.  

According to PFT the deal starts in 2020 with a $825,000 base salary.

[WarPanthers89]

“We should have let him play out his last year!! We gave up all the leverage we had!” Meanwhile you see his 2020 hit, and we saved money in the future by doing it now, avoiding a holdout, and locking him up in his prime. We have a talented young group on offense, and it’s going to be exciting to watch. Next year we can compete once we have had one more offseason to build up our defense.

[steven8989]

27 minutes ago, WarPanthers89 said:

“We should have let him play out his last year!! We gave up all the leverage we had!” Meanwhile you see his 2020 hit, and we saved money in the future by doing it now, avoiding a holdout, and locking him up in his prime. We have a talented young group on offense, and it’s going to be exciting to watch. Next year we can compete once we have had one more offseason to build up our defense.

Yeah people that didn't like us signing him are the ones that didn't want us to draft him.

[Khyber53]

Good piece of work, done at exactly the right time for exactly the right player. It's a win-win situation.