“Up to” is still the most difficult phrase in NFL media.
When the Jets signed receiver Mike Williams, the one-year deal was reportedly worth “up to” $15 million. The base value, as usual, is much lower.
Via Albert Breer of SI.com, Williams has $8.3 million guaranteed, with $1.7 million available in active roster bonuses per game. (Basically, he gets an extra $100,000 for every game he can play.)
The deal also includes $5 million in incentives. The incentives for the $5 million have not yet been reported.
Williams was cut by the Chargers last week. He was scheduled to make $20 million in 2024, the final year of his second contract.
It's a fair trade, considering Williams suffered a torn ACL in September. How healthy and productive is he a year after the injury? That remains to be seen.
The Jets previously committed $10 million, fully guaranteed, to receiver Allen Lazard for 2024. Their top receiver, Garrett Wilson, will make roughly $2.5 million in the third year of his rookie deal.
Williams, if healthy, should be No. 2. And Lazard, who was hugely disappointing in 2023, could (or should) be better if quarterback Aaron Rodgers takes more than four snaps this year.
For the Jets, there are a couple of veterans who arrived via fairly modest contracts with high incentives. Previously, the Jets signed Tyron Smith to a one-year deal paying $6.5 million guaranteed — with $13.5 million in incentives.
“Student. Incurable problem solver. Amateur baconaholic. Introvert. Infuriatingly humble music fanatic.”