Tuesday morning the San Francisco 49ers came to terms on a contract extension with outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks that could keep him in town for six years. The deal was publicized as six years, $44.5 million. The initial reaction was one of surprise at the size of the deal, as well as concern about the potential salary cap impact. Based on Matt Maiocco's report, the 49ers have maintained financial responsibility in retaining one of their key contributors.
Sources reported to Maiocco that the contract is actually a six year contract worth $37 million, with escalators and incentives that if maxed out would push the deal to $44.5 million. The deal includes a $7.5 million signing bonus, which gets prorated over the life of the contract for salary cap purposes. According to Maiocco, the future cap figures break down as follows:
2012: $2.85M
2013: $6.65M
2014: $7.5M
2015: $8.35M
2016: $6.35M
2017: $5.3M
This covers base salaries, the signing bonus proration and roster bonuses of $50,000 for every game he is active in the regular season. Those roster bonuses would add up to $800,000 each season. This protects them to a modest extent from potential injuries. Of course, one reason they extended such a lengthy extension is his ability to stay healthy in 2011.