PFT: No more unsigned rookies as Jags ink Blackmon

AP

The Jaguars wanted sweeping protections in receiver Justin Blackmon?s contract. ?In the end, they got only one protection.

But it?s an important one.

A source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT that the contract to be signed by the fifth overall pick in the draft is fully guaranteed, with no offset language. ?This means that, if the Jaguars cut Blackmon and he signs with a new team, Blackmon will keep the remaining money due from Jacksonville ? and the new money from his new team.

That said, the Jaguars obtained protection via altered cash flow. ?Blackmon pockets only 60 percent of the signing bonus he was due to receive based on his slot, with $7.11 million coming now and the rest arriving via annual roster bonuses.

In 2013, Blackmon is due to receive a roster bonus of $1.7 million, with $700,000 due on the fifth day of the league year and the rest due before the start of training camp. ?In 2014, $1.7 million is due on the fifth day of the league year. ?The last installment of $1.39 million is due on the fifth day of the 2015 league year.

The base salaries are $390,000 in 2012, $1.23 million in 2013, $2.07 million in 2014, and $2.91 million in 2015.

It also works out to a maximum contract of $18.5 million, and that equates to the full amount of the available slot.

So where does the protection come from? ?If Blackmon gets suspended, the future guarantees go away. ?Which means that Blackmon could be cut and the Jags would owe him nothing more. ?(That?s standard language in all new rookie deals, with the specific trigger varying from team to team. ?For example, the contracts signed by Bucs safety Mark Barron and Seahawks defensive end Bruce Irvin void the guarantees if the player is simply fined by the league for violations of the personal-conduct policy or the substance-abuse policy, or by the club for conduct detrimental to the team.)

So Blackmon got a good deal under the circumstances and the Jaguars got some protection via the delayed payment of his signing bonus.

And the best news is that Blackmon is in camp.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/06/jaguars-justin-blackmon-agree-to-terms/related

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