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The Carolina Panthers have been assailed for signing Jake Delhomme to an offseason contract extension following his six-turnover performance in a playoff loss to Arizona, but an Observer review of the deal shows the team kept him at a price that put him in the bottom half of the NFL's starting quarterbacks.
The Observer obtained a copy of the contract, dated April25 and signed by Delhomme and team owner Jerry Richardson. The deal did not include a 2009 pay increase over what Delhomme was previously scheduled to make, but did give him $12.675million in new guarantees he'll make regardless of whether he remains with the team after this season.
The contract is formally a five-year extension including two option years, but is designed to convert next spring to a three-year, $25.5million agreement expiring after the 2012 season. The $8.5 million annual average is barely more than half that of the highest-paid quarterback - Eli Manning's $16.25million with the New York Giants.
Seventeen of the league's 32 starting quarterbacks currently have contracts averaging more than $9.4million a year, according to league data.
Like most figures announced immediately following the signing of new contracts, Delhomme's were misleading. Initial reports in April indicated he'd signed a five-year, $42.5 million deal ($8.5 million average) with $20million in guarantees.
According to the contract, the guarantees totaled $19million, but $6.325million of that came in 2009 pay he already was set to earn.
Based on the contract and accompanying summary documents, here's a breakdown, along with how and why the two sides chose to strike the deal:
Decision time
Delhomme said his agent, Rick Smith, and the team began talks about a contract extension in September 2008, when the Panthers were just getting started on a 12-4 season, their best record in Delhomme's seven years with the team.
Delhomme said he told Smith: "I want to be here. Just get it done."
The contract he originally signed in June 2004 was due to expire after the '09 season, and Carolina needed to do something about Delhomme's upcoming '09 cap number of more than $11million, which he described as "gi-normous."
The figure was high due to restructures at the team's request each year from 2005-07. Each of those years, the Panthers gained temporary cap space, but Delhomme's '09 cap number grew as the pro-rations kept coming forward.
When the Panthers won the NFC South Division last season and ranked as a strong Super Bowl contender entering the playoffs, re-signing Delhomme appeared to be a no-brainer. It was the third time he'd led the team to the postseason.
But then came the Arizona game and a shocking 33-13 defeat that featured the worst performance of his pro career.
The defeat caused many Panthers fans and some national analysts to question whether Delhomme's days with the team were, or should be, over.
Inside the organization, however, there remained a firm commitment to keeping him, albeit at a reasonable price, and trying to stay consistent at the most important position on the field.
The Panthers learned a hard lesson about abruptly starting over at quarterback in 2001 when former coach George Seifert released veteran Steve Beuerlein, thinking unproven Jeff Lewis was ready to take over. Instead, Lewis failed to make the regular season roster and rookie Chris Weinke was left to lead the Panthers to a 1-15 record, resulting in Seifert's firing.
Though coach John Fox showed up the next year, general manager Marty Hurney lived through that debacle and never wants to repeat it.
By late March, a deal was getting close. Fox said at the NFL owner's meetings in Dana Point, Calif., that the two sides were negotiating and that negative public sentiment wouldn't sway the Panthers.
"I wholeheartedly appreciate what fans say, and the critics," Fox said at the time. "But I think (Delhomme) had a bad game; he's not a bad quarterback."
The Panthers formally announced they'd reached agreement with Delhomme about a month later on April23, two days before the start of the NFL draft.
During a conference call with reporters, Delhomme said the loss to the Cardinals was "fuel to my fire" and that he and the Panthers had "unfinished business."
A look inside
The Panthers didn't increase Delhomme's pay for 2009. Under his prior contract, he was scheduled to make a $5.325million base salary and to be paid a $1 million roster bonus.
His new deal reassigned that same combined total of $6.325 million, giving him a $3.125 million signing bonus for the extension and a guaranteed '09 base salary of $3.2million.
The guarantees allowed the Panthers to pro-rate the money over the life of the new deal, helping to lower his '09 salary cap number by $2.5 million.
The contract extended to five new seasons (2010-2014), but that was done at least partly to provide extra years to catch the pro-rated bonuses and help with '09 cap space.
The somewhat complicated structure included three set seasons (2010-2012) with the option next spring to add a fourth year (2013) and a second option the following year to add a fifth season (2014).
No matter what happens, however, Delhomme is guaranteed to receive $12.675million in some form over the life of the contract, plus whatever base salaries and incentives he earns.
The plan of both sides was - and apparently still is - for the Panthers to forego the option years and instead to exercise a "supersede" mechanism between next April 23 and May 14 to convert the contract to a straight three-year deal.
That would give Delhomme a $10.14million bonus with base salaries of $4.16million in 2010, $5.12million in 2011 and $6.08million in 2012, keeping his salary cap number relatively low for the position he plays.
Under the "supersede" arrangement, Delhomme would arrive at his $12.675million guaranteed total with the $10.14 million bonus plus $2.535 million of his 2010 base salary.
The contract is written to protect Delhomme in the event of a change in the Panthers' front office.
If, for example, Fox and/or Hurney don't return next season, the contract has a "non-exercise fee" in case the team doesn't follow through with the planned supersede procedure. Not exercising any option would automatically convert the contract to three years and result in the same bonus and base salary terms as would the supersede.
Going forward
When the Panthers signed Delhomme, they had hopes of building on last season's success.
With 21 of 22 starters returning, including all 11 on offense, they looked like a strong contender again.
Instead, the year has been a struggle, especially for Delhomme and the passing game.
The Panthers are a disappointing 3-5 heading into today's game against Atlanta. They rank 21st in the NFL in total offense and 24th in passing.
Delhomme has thrown five touchdown passes, only one to a wide receiver, and ranks second in the league with 13 interceptions.
He turns 35 in January and still strongly desires to finish his career with the Panthers, but said he understands the public backlash against him.
"Certainly, a lot can be said, and it should be said, because we're not playing well and a quarterback has to take a lot of that," he said.
"I'm not hiding from that. I've got to be play better this year. As a quarterback, you want to be known as someone who wins. I think I've done that (over the years) for the most part ... The thing I'm very optimistic about is the season is not over."
Panthers officials have stuck by Delhomme and apparently still consider him a important part of the team's future, but know changes on offense must come in the offseason.
They lack a quarterback ready to be Delhomme's successor and must upgrade their wide receiving corps beyond Steve Smith, who's getting shackled by constant double-teams.
Delhomme doesn't apologize for his contract, saying he considers it fair compared to what other quarterbacks make, but he doesn't attempt to justify it either.
"I'm just trying to play well," he said, "and that takes care of itself."
Charles Chandler: (704) 358-5123 and @CharlesChandler on Twitter.
