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San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis has been skipping the team's voluntary OTAs, and the general belief is that he is looking for a new contract. He has bounced around at times, but it's become pretty clear he would like a new deal.
We've had plenty of discussion about where Davis sits in the pecking order of new contracts. The 49ers have several notable free agents in 2015, including Michael Crabtree, Mike Iupati, and Chris Culliver. Additionally, Alex Boone has skipped the voluntary OTAs due to his own contract dissatisfaction.
Rather than go back over whether or not Davis will get a new deal, now seemed like a good time to consider what a potential new deal could look like if the 49ers were so inclined.
As things currently stand, Davis is the 3rd highest paid tight end in the NFL. Davis signed his current contract at the beginning of the 2010 season. The deal offered him an APY of $7.35 million, and he received guarantees of $11.112 million. The two tight ends ahead of him on this list are Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots, and Jason Witten of the Dallas Cowboys. Gronkowski has an APY of $9 million per year, while Witten comes in at $7.4 million.
Here is a breakdown of Gronkowski and Witten's contracts:
1. Rob Gronkowski
He received $54 million in total dollars, and $13.17 million in full guarantees (injury, skill, cap).
Year |
Base |
Prorated |
Roster |
Workout |
Other |
Cap |
Salary |
Bonus |
Bonus |
Bonus |
Bonus |
Number |
|
2012 |
$540,000 |
$2,090,000 |
$0 |
$30,000 |
$0 |
$2,660,000 |
2013 |
$630,000 |
$2,090,000 |
$0 |
$30,000 |
$0 |
$2,750,000 |
2014 |
$3,750,000 |
$1,650,000 |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
$5,400,000 |
2015 |
$4,750,000 |
$3,650,000 |
$0 |
$250,000 |
$0 |
$8,650,000 |
2016 |
$2,250,000 |
$3,650,000 |
$500,000 |
$250,000 |
$0 |
$6,650,000 |
2017 |
$4,250,000 |
$2,000,000 |
$500,000 |
$250,000 |
$0 |
$7,000,000 |
2018 |
$8,000,000 |
$2,000,000 |
$750,000 |
$250,000 |
$0 |
$11,000,000 |
2019 |
$9,000,000 |
$2,000,000 |
$750,000 |
$250,000 |
$0 |
$12,000,000 |
2. Jason Witten
He received $37 million in total dollars, and $13.352 million in full guarantees (injury, skill, cap).
Year |
Base |
Prorated |
Roster |
Workout |
Other |
Cap |
Salary |
Bonus |
Bonus |
Bonus |
Bonus |
Number |
|
2012 |
$2,000,000 |
$3,500,000 |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
$5,500,000 |
2013 |
$940,000 |
$3,412,000 |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
$4,352,000 |
2014 |
$5,000,000 |
$3,412,000 |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
$8,412,000 |
2015 |
$5,100,000 |
$3,412,000 |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
$8,512,000 |
2016 |
$6,500,000 |
$912,000 |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
$7,412,000 |
2017 |
$7,400,000 |
$912,000 |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
$8,312,000 |
The last couple offseasons have seen some interesting tight end deals a little further down Over The Cap. Among others, St. Louis Rams tight end Jared Cook, and Baltimore Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta each signed new deals.
There are also other deals that have been signed in the past few offseasons, like Jared Cook, signed to a $35.1 million deal, by the St. Louis Rams, with a APY of $7.02 million, and $16 million in guarantees.
Jared Cook
Cook signed a 5-year deal worth $35.11 million. The deal included $16 million in guaranteed money.
Year |
Base |
Prorated |
Roster |
Workout |
Other |
Cap |
Salary |
Bonus |
Bonus |
Bonus |
Bonus |
Number |
|
2013 |
$3,000,000 |
$1,000,000 |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
$4,000,000 |
2014 |
$3,000,000 |
$1,000,000 |
$3,000,000 |
$0 |
$0 |
$7,000,000 |
2015 |
$7,000,000 |
$1,000,000 |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
$8,000,000 |
2016 |
$7,000,000 |
$1,000,000 |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
$8,000,000 |
2017 |
$7,100,000 |
$1,000,000 |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
$8,100,000 |
Dennis Pitta
Pitta signed a 5-year $32.5 million deal this past Feburay. It also included $16 million in guarantees, covering Pitta's signing bonus and first two year's salaries.
Year |
Base |
Prorated |
Roster |
Workout |
Other |
Cap |
Salary |
Bonus |
Bonus |
Bonus |
Bonus |
Number |
|
2014 |
$1,000,000 |
$2,200,000 |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
$3,200,000 |
2015 |
$4,000,000 |
$2,200,000 |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
$6,200,000 |
2016 |
$5,000,000 |
$2,200,000 |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
$7,200,000 |
2017 |
$5,500,000 |
$2,200,000 |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
$7,700,000 |
2018 |
$5,500,000 |
$2,200,000 |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
$7,700,000 |
What could we expect from a possible Davis extension?
If the 49ers elected to address his contract, he likely would be looking at guarantees in the range of Gronk and Witten. He is more valuable than PItta and Cook, but I think we would see a structure similar to Gronkowski. I could see a signing bonus in the $8 million to $10 million range, roster bonuses in the $400,000 range, and workout bonuses in the $200,000 range.
As always you can follow me on twitter @Jay_AB81, and check out http://www.ninercaphell.com for more salary cap breakdowns. I'll be back in a few days to look at Colin Kaepernick's new contract, and how it compares to other quarterbacks.