The Buffalo Bills signed Tyler Mataveich as their new special teams ace and backup linebacker. The former Pittsburgh Steelers player was solid as a core special teamer but really lacked the athleticism to make an impact at linebacker.
Still, Buffalo didn’t just give him a contract they gave him a BIG contract for that role. He’s going to make as much as Tremaine Edmunds this year. He’s going to make more than Tre’Davious White, Matt Milano, Stephen Hauschka, and a host of other talents and important players on the Bills.
To put it into perspective, linebacker Corey Thompson costs the Bills $750,000 in 2020 and Julian Stanford was $1.5 million in 2019 and is now a free agent. Heck, in 2019, Lorenzo Alexander made $3.75 million, just a shade north of what Matakevich is going to cost. It’s a hefty contract for a backup with one game of starting experience in the league.
Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle once again provides us with our numbers.
The guaranteed money in the contract is the signing bonus ($700,000), a 2020 roster bonus paid five days after the contract is executed ($1 million), plus his 2020 salary ($1.75 million) for a total of $3.45 million guaranteed. It’s likely the 2020 salary guarantee contains an offset. Should the Bills release him and he be signed by another team, Buffalo wouldn’t need to guarantee that money up to his new 2020 salary.
There are incentives built into his contract during both seasons for playing time, likely tied to his play on defense and not special teams. Those are unknown incentives at this time. If he reaches the incentives in 2020, he will also receive a $600,000 base pay jump in 2021. If he hits all of his incentives, he could add another $1.8 million in total money over the two years.
2020
Pro-rated signing bonus: $350,000
Roster bonus: $1 million (guaranteed)
Workout bonus: $100,000
Salary: $1.75 million (guaranteed)
Per-game active bonus: Up to $250,000 ($15,625 per game)
Playing time incentive: Up to $600,000 (unknown parameters)
Cap hit: $3.45 million
2021
Pro-rated signing bonus: $350,000
Workout bonus: $100,000
Salary: $3 million
Per-game active bonus: Up to $250,000 ($15,625 per game)
Playing time incentive: Up to $600,000 (unknown parameters)
Cap hit: $3.7 million
Dead cap: $350,000
Cap savings if cut: $3.35 million