Alabama in the NFL: Free Agency Update

Alabama has over 55 players in the NFL right now, and with that large number, there are going to be plenty of roster movements and updates on the former Alabama players. Free agency is just kicking off, so let’s dig deeper into some of the updates on former Alabama players.

Signed

AJ McCarron: 2 years, $10 million with the Bills.

The base salary is $10 million, but based on playing time and incentives, McCarron could make up to $15.7 million. Per Spotrac, McCarron gets $6.8 million guaranteed after signing and then a total of $7.9 million guaranteed in the contract. In 2018 his cap hit will be $3 million, while his cap hit in 2019 will be $7 million. If the Bills elect to opt out of the contract after the first year, they will only eat $2 million in dead money. Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk broke it down even more.

Andre Smith: 2 years, $8 million with Cardinals.

Smith received a $2.585 million dollar signing bonus, which is the only guaranteed money in his contract. His base contract in 2018 is $915k and can make up to $31,250 per game extra with playing time. If he makes the roster in 2019, he will make $3 million that year from his base salary. After the third day of 2019, Smith will get a $500k bonus.

Still to Sign

D.J. Fluker

The 6’5 guard was with the Giants last year where he signed a 1 year, $3 million dollar contract. Fluker is still only 27 years old and is in the prime of his career. Some landing spots for Fluker look to be the Seahawks or the Colts. Fluker had a solid season last year, so I would look for him to be sign a 1-2 year contract with around $4-5 million per year. It may seem a little steep, but the dearth of competent linemen in the league right now is at an all time low, so everyone is overpaying. Incentives should be a major factor in his next contract, as well.

Eddie Lacy

The former Tide standout RB was with Seattle last year on a one year deal. Lacy’s salary was $5.5 million with over $385k in weight incentives. Lacy hit those incentives, but still rarely saw the field in Seattle, leading to the team not re-upping his one-year prove it deal. I expect Lacy to see a similar contract for a 1 year deal for around $3-4 million a year with incentives.

Quinton Dial

The 27 year old NT spent last season with the Packers. Dial was on a very standard 1 year deal for $775k. Dial has fetched interest from the Lions and the Seahawks. Dial should see another 1-2 year deal with a salary of $1-1.5 million a year.

Courtney Upshaw

Upshaw has spent the last two years on small deals with the Atlanta Falcons— base salary of around $750K and a total cap hit of about $1.3 million each year with bonuses. He’s yet to be re-signed, but it’s likely that the Falcons retain him for another year or two with the same amount of money.

Thanks y’all for reading. Make sure to checkout my twitter @BobbyMKunz for all Bama updates. Roll Tide.