Gumbo
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- Mar 19, 2019
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Somehow, Saints running back Alvin Kamara matched Ezekiel Elliott‘s annual average of $15 million per year. Here’s how: With a $25 million payable in the final season of the five-year extension.
Without the non-guaranteed 2025 salary, per-game roster bonus, or workout bonus (totaling $25 million), Kamara signed a four-year, $12.5 million extension. Which is still solid. And it gives Kamara a ticket to the open market after the 2024 season, when Kamara is 29.
The full terms of the deal appear below.
1. Signing bonus: $15 million, paid in full by November 27, 2020.
2. 2020 salary: $833,000, guaranteed for skill, injury, and cap.
3. 2021 salary: $2 million, guaranteed for skill, injury, and cap.
4. 2022 roster bonus: $6 million, guaranteed for injury at signing, and guaranteed for skill, injury, and cap as of the third day of the 2021 league year.
5. 2022 salary: $5.5 million, guaranteed for injury at signing, and guaranteed for skill, injury, and cap as of the third day of the 2021 league year.
6. 2023 roster bonus: $1 million, guaranteed for injury at signing, and guaranteed for injury at signing, and guaranteed for skill, injury, and cap as of the third day of the 2022 league year.
7. 2023 salary: $9.4 million, $4 million of which is guaranteed for injury at signing and guaranteed for injury at signing, and guaranteed for skill, injury, and cap as of the third day of the 2023 league year.
8. 2024 roster bonus: $1 million, due on the fifth day of the 2024 league year.
9. 2024 salary: $10.2 million.
10. 2025 roster bonus: $2 million, due on the fifth day of the 2025 league year.
11. 2025 salary: $22.4 million.
The deal also has workout bonuses of $100,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025, along with $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses for 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Kamara has $17.833 million fully guaranteed at signing, another $11.5 million that becomes fully guaranteed as of March 2021, $1 million that becomes fully guaranteed in 2022, and another $4 million that becomes fully guaranteed in March 2023. That’s $34.333 million guaranteed at least for injury at signing.
The cash flow unfolds as follows: $15.833 million through 2020, $17.833 million through 2021, $29.333 million through 2022, $40.333 million through 2023, $52.133 million through 2024, and $77.133 million through 2025.
Kamara undoubtedly will be cut before the start of the 2025 season, given the $25 million compensation package that season. Basically, then, it’s a four-year extension with (as a practical matter) no way to tag Kamara, since they’ll have to release him to avoid owing $25 million.