I know at the time, more than a few Rams fans were upset that the Rams signed Josh Brown, feeling that they really overpaid for him. But the Chicago Sun-Times takes a look at Josh Brown's deal with the Rams and recently extended kicker Robbie Gould's new contract with the Bears.
Here's what they found...
Quote:
Dollars and sense: A second look at Gould's contract
We tried to analyze the numbers for Robbie Gould’s new contract vs. Josh Brown earlier, and we’ll take one more shot at presenting them.
The figures from the deal Gould pulled down last week have come in and we can match them up with the contract Brown signed with the St. Louis Rams at the start of free agency.
Gould received a five-year extension from the Bears that provides him with $13.5 million in new money, keeping him in place through 2013. The deal tops out at $15.5 million in new money with performance-based escalators totaling $2 million in 2012 and 2013. Gould’s average on the extension with the escalators is $3.1 million. Without, it’s $2.7 million.
Brown signed a $14.2 million, five-year contract to leave Seattle ($2.84 million average). Gould makes more money per year on his extension if he hits one or both of his escalators. The 2012 escalator is for $900,000 and the 2013 escalator is worth $1.1 million.
Gould collects $8.9 million in the first three years of his extension (2009 through 2011) when you count the bonus money he collects this year.
Brown receives $8.8 million in the first three years of his contract (2008 through 2010).
That’s where it turns into an apples vs. oranges comparison when you look at a straight five-year contract vs. a five-year extension. During 2008-2010, Gould will collect roughly $7.27 million. For the purpose of comparison, NFLPA records show Gould’s three-year average as $2.967 million. Brown’s is $2.933 million. Brown received a $4 million signing bonus. Gould picked up a $2 million roster bonus this year and has $2 million of a roster bonus guaranteed for 2009. With other bonuses, he can collect another $254,800 in the first two years.
The Bears don’t believe in ripping up the final year of contracts when they go to players for extensions (imagine the how Tommie Harris and Devin Hester feel about that right now). In Gould’s case, they’ve maintained the integrity of the previous contract by keeping the base salary of $520,000 for 2008. That’s what makes the straight comparison to Brown’s contract tricky. Gould is under contract for the next six seasons at $16.02 million if you include the escalators.
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So as it turns out, the deal the Rams gave Josh Brown is pretty similar in payout to one the Bears extended to their own kicker who, incidentally, finished the '07 season one point behind Josh Brown in total points (127 to 126).
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