As expected it is unlikely that Andy Dalton gets anywhere near $115 Million. The base salary of the agreement is $96 million, which Dalton will collect if he is on the team all six years of the contract.
The most important thing as always is the guaranteed money and PFT breaks it down.
Dalton receives a signing bonus of $12 million and a roster bonus in three days of $5 million. That’s a total of $17 million out of the gates. Coupled with his $986,000 base salary (which isn’t guaranteed as a legal matter but it is as a practical matter), Dalton will make $18 million in the first year of the deal.
Then, on the third day of the 2015 league year in March, Dalton earns a $4 million roster bonus. He also has a $3 million non-guaranteed base salary in 2015. That’s $25 million over two years.
Dalton has a bunch of escalators for playoff appearances, roster bonuses, Pro Bowls and Super Bowls, which if he hit could make the deal worth $115 million, but unlikely he hits them all. After the first two years, there is little risk for Bengals and they could simply release him if they want to move in a different direction.
