The San Francisco 49ers signed numerous offensive players on Thursday and Friday, but they did sign one defensive player of note in linebacker Malcolm Smith. They also signed linebacker Brock Coyle and defensive back Don Jones, but they are primarily special teams players.
Smith joins the 49ers after two years with the Oakland Raiders, and four years with the Seattle Seahawks. He did not become a full-time starter until he joined Oakland, but his time in Seattle got him accustomed to the 4-3 defense in which he will likely play outside linebacker.
We now have Smith’s contract terms, thanks to OverTheCap.com. According to OTC, Smith received a five-year deal worth $26.5 million. It includes $11.5 million fully guaranteed at signing. That is made up of a $7 million signing bonus, his 2017 base salary, and $2.5 million of his 2018 base salary. His contract also includes yearly $250,000 per game roster bonuses, and yearly $50,000 workout bonuses.
OTC mentions that Smith’s 2020 and 2021 years are option years. Similar to Pierre Garcon, this makes the deal more like a three-year deal, rather than the 5-year deal that was reported. It could pan out and Smith will last the length of it, but as with most NFL contracts, there will be early outs.
Here is a breakdown of Malcolm Smith’s contract.
2017 Salary Cap Hit: $3,684,375
Base Salary: $2 million(Fully guaranteed at signing)
Prorated Signing Bonus: $1.4 million
Per Game Roster Bonus: $250,000 (Only 15 games count against the cap, as Smith missed 1 game in 2016)
Workout Bonus: $50,000
2018 Salary Cap Number: $4.7 million
Base Salary: $3 million($2.5 million fully guaranteed at signing)
Prorated Signing Bonus: $1.4 million
Per Game Roster Bonus: $250,000
Workout Bonus: $50,000
2019 Salary Cap Number: $5.45 million
Base Salary: $3.75 million
Prorated Signing Bonus: $1.4 million
Per Game Roster Bonus: $250,000
Workout Bonus: $50,000
2020 Salary Cap Number: $6.1 million
Base Salary: $4.4 million
Prorated Signing Bonus: $1.4 million
Per Game Roster Bonus: $250,000
Workout Bonus: $50,000
2021 Salary Cap Number: $6.55 million
Base Salary: $4.85 million
Prorated Signing Bonus: $1.4 million
Per Game Roster Bonus: $250,000
Workout Bonus: $50,000
As always you can follow me on Twitter, @Jay_AB81, or check our salary cap section here, on Niners Nation, which is now officially the exclusive home for my salary cap information.