A bunch of teams have been locking up their own impending free agents with contract extensions before the new league year opens, and now we have the financial details we were missing on some of those deals. Linebacker Danny Trevathan signed a new three-year contract with the Bears, and he got a nice payday. The pact has a base value of $21.75 million that can grow to $24 million if he hits some incentives, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter video link).
He’s getting $14 million in guaranteed money, essentially meaning the first two years of the deal are mostly guaranteed. Rapoport also reports that the extension was a “priority” for them, and confirms this likely means the Bears will be letting fellow linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski walk in free agency, something we heard earlier this weekend. Trevathan is a full-time starter when healthy, but he has missed 18 games over his four years with Chicago.
Here’s the latest on the new salaries:
- Special teams ace and locker-room leader Matthew Slater signed a new two-year deal with the Patriots on Friday, and now we have his terms. He’s getting $5.3 million over the two years, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. He’ll have base salaries of $1.6 million in 2020 and $1.75 million in 2021, with the rest coming in the form of roster and per-game bonuses. That’s a pretty impressive figure for a player who contributes only on special teams these days. Of course, Slater’s importance to the team goes well beyond his on-field contributions, as he is a team captain and staple of Bill Belichick’s program. He’s also made the Pro Bowl eight times.
- Speaking of guys playing unheralded positions getting paid, Falcons fullback Keith Smith also signed an extension on Saturday. His new three-year contract will pay him a solid $4.3 million, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). The San Jose State product, who was in his first year with Atlanta in 2019, will get $1.95 million in guaranteed money. Smith played about 17 percent of the offensive snaps last year as a lead blocker, while also contributing heavily on special teams.
More must-reads: