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Midweek NFL Contract Rundown

This week has been nothing other than full of big NFL team moves. Instead of covering them all, I am providing some of the contracts that stuck out the most to me. See below.

  • Madieu Williams signed a 6-year, $33 million with the Minnesota Vikings, making him one of the highest-paid safeties in the NFL. Wait, who? I consider myself to be a pretty big football fan. To pay a guy that I have never even heard of one of the highest paid contracts for his position seems like something only the Vikings organization would do. I guess it makes sense then.
  • The Cleveland Brows signed former #3 receiver on the Patriots, Donte Stallworth to a 7-year $35 million deal. Seems like quite a bit for a guy who has been overshadowed by a guy like former Gator wide receiver, Jabar Gaffney, who appeared lower on New England’s depth chart. Although, the deal seems low, if compared to the Vikings deal listed above.
  • Apparently, teams are impressed with Cincinnati’s 2007 defensive lineup. The San Francisco 49ers just inked DE Justin Smith to a 6-year, $45 million contract. The guy was a high draft pick and has been consistently solid in the NFL. Looks like a good deal for both sides.
  • The Falcons dropped Dunn and picked up former San Diego Chargers backup, Michael Turner. The deal is for another term of 6-years, paying a total of $34.5 million ($15 million guaranteed). Personally, I feel like it is a lot of money to pay a guy who has not yet proven his ability to take a majority of a team’s snaps in the backfield. If he does not perform up to expectations, he could always be cut, so his agent did a nice job of squeaking that $15 million guarantee in there.
  • At 26-years-old, Ben Roethlisberger is looking to play for the Steelers well into his 30s. Pittsburgh agreed with his agents on an 8-year, $102 million contract. The real eye catcher is the $36 million guaranteed, eclipsing Peyton Manning’s guarantee in his deal.
  • Alan Faneca is the highest paid O-Lineman after the Jets gave him a 5-year, $40 million deal. $21 million of it is guaranteed. Not bad for a guy that many would place out of his prime, at the age of 31-years-old.
  • Oh, and some guy named Randy Moss is sticking it out with the Patriots after signing a 3-year, $27 million deal. Good call, Schackman.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

One reply on “Midweek NFL Contract Rundown”

I had a lengthy discussion last night with an agent I have a great deal of respect for, and he took special note of the length of most of the deals signed over the past week. He said he thinks it indicates that teams are very wary of the owners opting out of the CBA deal, and they’re hedging their bets with long contracts. Could be one reason there’s so much lunacy this time of year. Of course, it also could just be the Raiders being the Raiders.

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