The Buffalo Bills have completely revamped their defensive line this offseason following the departures of Shaq Lawson and Jordan Phillips. They signed an expensive trio of defensive linemen to replace them; DE Mario Addison, DL Quinton Jefferson, and DT Vernon Butler.
Thanks to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, we have Jefferson’s contract details. He gets a bunch of money in 2020 but he’s not guaranteed to be on the roster in the fall (though they have spent $4 million on him already).
As part of his two-year, $13.5 million deal, Jefferson received $6.25 million in guaranteed money. That’s his signing bonus ($3 million) and his roster bonus ($1 million) which have both already been paid plus $2.25 million of his 2020 salary. (If he’s cut before the season, Buffalo would have to pay him $2.25 million only is he didn’t sign a contract for that much elsewhere.)
After paying him up to $8.5 million in year one of the deal, Buffalo can jettison him for a minimal cap hit, but it would only cost them $5 million to keep him for year two.
It should be noted that this is the first deal the Bills have done that doesn’t have a workout bonus in 2020. Every other deal contained between $100,000 and $250,000 for attending team workouts. With the coronavirus closing team facilities, that makes the bonus impossible to earn. The workout bonus returns in 2021, though.
Here is the full yearly breakdown
2020
Pro-rated signing bonus: $1.5 million
Roster bonus: $ 1 million (guaranteed)
Base salary: $3.75 million ($2.25 million guaranteed)
Per-game active bonus: $750,000 ($46,875 per game) (14 LTBE is $656,250)
Total cash: Up to $8.5 million
Cap number: $6,906,250
Dead cap: $4 million plus $2.25 million in guaranteed salary
2021
Pro-rated signing bonus: $1.5 million
Roster bonus: $500,000
Workout bonus: $100,000
Base salary: $3.9 million
Per-game active bonus: $500,000 ($31,250 per game)*
Total cash: Up to $5.03 million
Cap number: $6.5 million
Dead cap: $1.5 million
Cap savings if cut: $5 million
* Would go up if 2021 is a 17-game season