Drew Brees' new five-year, $100 million contract makes the New Orleans Saints quarterback the NFL's top-paid player on an average annual salary ($20 million). But the way the Saints structured the deal, it gives the franchise some $6 million more in cap space than if Brees had signed his franchise tender. Here's the year-by-year breakdown:
2012
$37 million signing bonus
$3 million base
CAP HIT: $10.4M ($3M + $7.4M bonus proration)
2013
$10 million total
CAP HIT: $17.4M ($10M + $7.4M bonus proration)
2014
$11 million total
CAP HIT: $18.4M ($11M + $7.4M bonus proration)
2015
$19 million total
CAP HIT: $26.4M ($19M + $7.4M bonus proration)
2016
$20 million total
CAP HIT: $27.4M ($20M + $7.4M bonus proration)
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