RDE/DT Haloti Ngata, the Ravens’ best player, finally got a long-term deal done that will keep him in purple and black for at least the next five years:
The contract will pay Ngata $40 million in guaranteed money in the first two years, which is superior to all non-quarterback deals for the first two years of a contract. It exceeds all annual defensive line compensation at the start of a deal.
“It just feels awesome,” Ngata said in a statement. “I won’t have to worry about my family, my kids, with money problems. Hopefully, I can continue to do well for the Ravens now and it’s a good deal for them.”
Admittedly, $40M and “good deal” in the same story produce a bit of cognitive dissonance to the general public, but as far as NFL contracts go, it’s entirely reasonable. As I understand it, the deal also looks to be fairly front-loaded.
Update: Yes, it is. Total deal is $61M, meaning a full 2/3 of the contract’s money is due in the first two years. For the next three years, Ngata’s salary will be fairly low, allowing them to do another deal (or, should he get hurt/lose effectiveness/go Haynesworth, cut him) with relatively little penalty.
Via about a million people on the tweet machine.
PS: If you’re not a football fan, Ngata’s last name is pronounced “Not-a,” making the title marginally less stupid.
That will come as no surprise to anyone, but it’s particularly impressive that, out of 16,000 respondents and counting, nearly half think an NFL franchise should be able to tell its players they can’t get tattoos or piercings. It’s also telling that Panthers owner Jerry Richardson was at least as concerned about tattoos as he was about Cam Newton’s previous artistic endeavors.