The Jacksonville Jaguars came to an agreement with first-round pick Justin Blackmon on Monday afternoon, ending the 12 days of missed training camp. The deal will pay Blackmon $18.5 million over four years, but the Jaguars were able to get themselves protection in the deal, according to a report by Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.
The deal does not have any offset language, which means that if the Jaguars release Blackmon before his deal is up, a new deal from another team won't change the amount that the Jaguars will pay Blackmon. According to Florio, the Jaguars were able to add language that will defer 40-percent of his signing bonus. Blackmon will receive 60-percent in the form of a signing bonus worth $7.11 million right now with the rest coming in signing 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.
Given the language of the contract, according to Mike Florio, if Justin Blackmon gets suspended any future guaranteed money goes away. This means the Jaguars could release Blackmon and no longer owe him any money. The $18.5 million total in the deal is the maximum amount allowed in the slot under the current CBA.
So, in the end Blackmon caved.