Now that the numbers are coming in for the Danny Trevathan contract, did they get him at value?
The Chicago Bears have extended Danny Trevathan. As the reports have started to come in, the deal is a three-year contract for $21.75, with incentives to make it a $24 million deal. He also is getting $14 million in guaranteed money.
When we broke down the possible market for Danny Trevathan, and what others in similar spots got, we summarized that a 2-year deal with $12 million in guarantees was a fair market value for him.
Denzel Perryman, Mark Barron, and Todd Davis signed similar extensions, and all of them can be compared to Trevathan for a variety of ways. However, he saw a deal closer to Demario Davis.
Davis is a 31-year old for the Saints who recently signed a 3-year, $24 million deal. The deal has worked out for the Saints well as Davis has been a force in the middle for back-to-back playoff runs.
On the field, Davis and Trevathan can bring similar qualities. Both are at the same age. However, the biggest difference between the two is that Demario Davis has not missed a game due to injury in his career, dating back to 2012.
Trevathan entered the NFL in the same year as Davis and has missed 31 more games since 2012. In the past three seasons, Trevathan has played 2,258 snaps, which includes 2018, the healthiest year of his career.
Over that span, Davis has played 2,977 snap, over 700 more than Trevathan. That is nearly a full season’s worth.
Still, the salary cap rises every year. Beyond that, while it is a three-year deal, the guarantees tell you this is a two-year deal.
Trevathan will get the majority of his $14 million in guarantees over the first two seasons. The third-year is to be looked at as an option year with minimal dead cap, and the extra $7.75 million. If Trevathan can prove to be healthy to finish his career, he will have deserved that, but at this point, the deal should be looked at as a two-year, $14 million deal.
Considering we suggested a two-year, $12 million deal, this is not a drastic overpay. Beyond that, the realization that Nick Kwiatkoski will get overpaid on the market likely forced the Bears to throw in that extra couple of million to retain a starter who is familiar with the defensive system and the players around him.
The biggest question is healthy, but if the Bears get the type of player that Davis has been for the Saints, they will pay up to that amount as well. For now, it is a fair market deal that may not be considered team-friendly but is not an overpay either.