Ndamukong Suh’s bank account is about to enter another stratosphere.
Per Pro Football Talk, the contract that Ndamukong Suh will sign with the Dolphins will include $60 million guaranteed over three years. I repeat — that’s fully guaranteed — regardless of injury or Suh’s talent disappearing.
Teams usually won’t fully guarantee large amounts because the NFL requires teams to fund the fully-guaranteed payments at signing. In this case, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross will be required to write a check for $60 million, with Suh getting plenty of it up front and the rest going to an escrow account for future distribution.
Other teams (and likely the league office) won’t like this. If owners who have the cash to make that kind of commitment start making that kind of commitment, they’ll have a huge advantage when it comes to signing players. Eventually, the richest owners will take over the league.
Some believe that, previously, the richest owners have resisted doing it out of respect for the owners who can’t. Ross may be blazing a trail that sparks renewed acrimony between the NFL’s haves and the have-mores.
Stephen Ross gambled that Suh will continue to be the dominant monster for the next several years. The All Pro will get paid now regardless.