Will Smith Signs Contract Extension
June 12, 2008 by David Kindervater
Filed under New Orleans Saints
Getty Images
Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL
New Orleans Saints DE Will Smith signed a whopping seven-year, $63 million contract extension yesterday that will make him one of the NFL’s highest-paid defensive players. The guaranteed money is at $25 million. Upon completing the deal, Saints GM Mickey Loomis said:
“We are excited about getting this long-term contract done with Will. We view him as one of our core players and look forward to him having an impact on our defense for years to come.”
Yes, seven years to be precise. Will made the Pro Bowl in ‘06 and led the Saints in sacks last year with seven. But are seven sacks and 66 tackles worth a $63 million deal? I think not. Here’s the problem. When the Saints gave DE Charles Grant a seven-year contract extension worth as much as $63 million last year (that’s if he reaches all incentives), I don’t see that they had any other choice but to pay Will, too. He actually out-sacked Charles 26 to 11 over the past three years, so if anyone’s getting the money it should be Will. Still, it’s out-of-control money for good players — not great ones.
Source: NFL.com
