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The numbers on McCourty's contract
Posted by Albert Breer
July 28, 2010 03:06 PM

SIGNING BONUS
$1.5 Million
ROSTER BONUS
2010: $680,000
ONE-TIME PLAY-TIME INCENTIVE
$1.54 Million
OPTION BONUS
2011: $3.38 Million
BASE SALARIES
2010: $320,000
2011: $405,000
2012: $505,000
2013: $650,000
2014: $870,000
WORKOUT BONUSES
2012: $50,000
2013: $50,000
2014: $50,000
TOTAL: $10 Million
There's a $3.2 million escalator on the back end that brings you to the five-year max total of $13.2 million.
Remember how they needed to get around the option bonus (and how it held up this negotiation)? Here's how they did it ... As the contract reads right now, McCourty has salaries of $1.25 million, $1.5 million, $1.75 million and $870,000 from 2011-14 and they're all guaranteed. Once the Patriots pick up that option, the numbers revert to those above and only his 2011 salary is guaranteed.
So if the Patriots are going to let McCourty go in 2011 and not pick up his option, they'd have to pay him $5.37 million. That's obviously quite a motivator to pay that bonus (Would you pay that much to have someone not play for you?), and makes it virtually guaranteed.
News, analysis and commentary from Boston.com's staff writers and contributors, including Zuri Berry and Erik Frenz.