SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The San Francisco 49ers signed running back Jerick McKinnon to a four-year, $30 million deal on Wednesday, a contract that surprised many considering the price for a running back who had never been featured in four NFL seasons.
As is often the case, McKinnon's deal isn't quite as onerous as it looked at first glance. As with many of the Niners' deals recently, McKinnon's is front loaded with all of his fully guaranteed money coming in the first year.
The contract includes a $2 million signing bonus, the prorated portion of which would be the only dead money on the 49ers' salary cap if they were to move on from McKinnon after one year. For all intents and purposes, all of the fully guaranteed money comes in the form of his 2018 base salary and a roster bonus.
Given the guarantees in Year 1 and the smaller number in Year 2, this looks more like a two-year deal and then the Niners can re-evaluate. The final year of the deal is a team option that must be exercised before the end of the 2020 league year.
Here is the complete breakdown of McKinnon's contract with numbers courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information:
2018
Salary cap charge: $10.5 million
Base salary: $4.2 million (fully guaranteed)
Signing bonus proration: $500,000
Roster bonus: $5.5 million (paid on fifth day of league year)
Per-game roster bonus: Up to $250,000 ($15,625 per game on 46-man game day roster)
Workout bonus: $50,000
2019
Salary cap charge: $4.5 million
Base salary: $3.7 million (guaranteed for injury only, becomes fully guaranteed on April, 1, 2019)
Signing bonus proration: $500,000
Per-game roster bonus: $250,000 ($15,625 per game on 46-man game day roster)
Workout bonus: $50,000
2020
Salary cap charge: $7.3 million
Base salary: $6.5 million ($2.6 million guaranteed for injury at signing, becomes fully guaranteed on April 1, 2020)
Signing bonus proration: $500,000
Per-game roster bonus: $250,000 ($15,625 per game on 46-man game day roster)
Workout bonus: $50,000
2021 (Option year to be exercised before 2021 league year begins)
Salary cap charge: $7.7 million
Base salary: $6.9 million
Signing bonus proration: $500,000
Per-game roster bonus: $250,000 ($15,625 per game on 46-man game day roster)
Workout bonus: $50,000