Clements Signs Monster Deal
by 
David Kindervater on March 2nd, 2007
On the first day of free agency, defensive back Nate Clements has signed the richest contract ever given to a defensive player — eight years, $80 million with $22 million guaranteed from the San Francisco 49ers. This is insane. I love Nate Clements. He’s a fine defensive back, but few players are worth this kind of money, even at a prime position like corner. The Niners are paying dearly here, but Clements is probably the most prized “possession” in this year’s free agent market, so he’s going to get the big bucks whether he’s worth it or not. Last season Nate had 54 tackles, three INTs and 16 passes defensed. Those are good numbers, but… Plus, Nate is entering his seventh NFL season. Obviously he’s not going to play eight more years and he’s not going to see all of that $80 million. So, we’re looking at the guaranteed money here. Dang. That’s a lot of cash. There’s only one game-changing DB in the NFL worth that kind of dough and it isn’t Nate Clements.
Other notable free agent signings included:
- Eric Steinbach, Browns, $49.5 million ($17 million guaranteed)
- Derrick Dockery, Bills, $49 million ($18.5 million guaranteed)
| 2.5 |
Related Stories
POSTED IN: San Francisco 49ers
1 opinion for Clements Signs Monster Deal
Mar 3, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Those numbers are staggering. I’m always amazed in baseball when teams are willing to sign a player for more than 3 or 4 years. I can’t even imagine giving an 8-year deal to a football player. Seems to me the injury risk is way too high to justify that.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: