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The New York Football Giants’ have yet to sign rookie Jason Pierre-Paul to what will likely be a very lucrative contract. Rookies as we know have a ridiculous pay-scale system in which unproven players who haven’t stepped on the field yet, make tens of millions more than proven veterans who have played for years. The current rookie pay-scale system is based on the allotted slot you were drafted in and most importantly what the player who was drafted in that slot last year made. The incoming rookie will make about 12% to 15% more than that rookie made last year. We will breakdown what Jason Pierre-Paul’s contract will look like.

Brian Cushing

What does Brian Cushing have to do with Jason Pierre-Paul? Cushing was the 15th pick in the 2009 N.F.L. Draft. With Pierre-Paul being the 15th pick, his respective agent will use Cushing’s contract to his clients advantage to get him the most money possible.

Cushing’s contract

As the 15th pick in the 2009 draft, Cushing received the following guarantee:

Salary: $310,000
Roster Bonus: $1.206M
One-Time NLTBE:  $2.919M
Option Bonus:  $6M

“There are limited cap and cash amounts in year one. The bulk of the bonus comes in the offseason of year two, and the remaining “guarantee” usually in the form of a one-time NLTBE (not likely to be earned) incentive, a minimum-performance standard that shields large amounts from the cap.”

“The total guarantee is $10.435 million, and the total pre-escalator package is $14M. Compared to the 15th pick in the 2008 draft, tackle Branden Albert of the Chiefs, Cushing received an increase of 13.5 percent on the guarantee and 10.7 percent on the total package.” — Credit to Andrew Brandt.

Cushing’s contract could be worth a maximum of $18 million over five years, if he hit all his performance escalators.

Jason Pierre-Paul’s Contract

The first thing Pierre-Paul and his agent will do is wait. They will wait till the draftees around him sign. This will also allow them to better gauge the market and see what his client is likely going to get. The Giants’ are in no rush to negotiate right now either. If one of the teams around Pierre-Paul negotiates a bad deal, the Giants’ will then have a huge chip to play with, as Pierre-Paul’s contract value would go down. That is why you don’t typically see first round picks sign until late July, early August. Some teams (the Bears’), like to get there guys signed as soon as possible. It has it’s perks, as you know your guys will be there on time and wont miss camp. But it also can mean you overpay a tad for guys, which hits the rest of the teams hard.

Since Cushing’s total amount guaranteed is $10.435 million, you can expect his agent to shoot for about 15% more than that. (Or roughly $2 million dollars.) Cushing’s total pre-escalator package is $14M, which means Pierre-Paul would probably shoot for about $16-17 million in guarantees and before his pre-escalator. That would likely mean Pierre-Paul’s contract would be worth a maximum $20 million-2 million (possibly $22 million) dollars. Not bad for a kid who hasn’t stepped on the field yet, right?