By my calculations, Ryan is receiving 3.3 percent less in guaranteed money per year in his contract compared with Jake Long. But, he's receiving at least 16 percent more total money per year compared with Jake Long. My calculations take into account one newly revealed fact and two assumptions.
FACT: Jake Long's deal is actually 6 years in length. The 6th years is voidable upon meeting two conditions. One is he must be on the Dolphins' roster 5 days after the finish to his 5th season. Two is he must play in 35 percent of the Dolphins' offensive snaps in 2008, and 45 percent in 2009, 2010, 2011 or 2012. This can be considered a relatively easy to void final year.
ASSUMPTION: The $57.75 million total contract figure given by the press must include the salary for this 6th and final year. It may be voidable, and it may not be terribly difficult to void it, but it is still voidable at Jake's discretion if he meets certain conditions. Therefore you count the 6th year's salary until such time as Jake decides that he's going to void it.
ASSUMPTION: In a normally escalating set of salaries, that 6th year's salary is PROBABLY around $6 million. That's not a terribly huge assumption at all. If you map it out, it sounds about right...considering he's got about 27.75 million in salary paid over the course of 6 years.
What this all means is that effectively, if Jake voids his final year, the contract is probably about 5 years, $51.75 million. That's the number I'm building in until I hear differently about one of my assumptions.
