Cowboys news, and NFL news is general, can be obsessed with salary cap figures and contract details this time of year. Now, we have some actual numbers to crunch in regard to one of the Dallas Cowboys' biggest signings of the 2014 NFL free agency period.
Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com breaks down what former Chicago Bears defensive end Henry Melton has to do to maximize his contract value in 2014 to the tune of $5 million -"Melton received a $1 million signing bonus and will be paid a $1.25 million base salary. He also has weekly roster bonuses of $78,125 maxing out at $1.25 million."
"The final $1.5 million is in incentives. He has $750,000 in play-time incentives and $750,000 in sacks."
The most interesting part of Melton's contract is probably the tiered incentive structure. If Henry Melton plays 50% of the Dallas Cowboys' defensive snaps, he gets $250,000. 60% nets him $500,000, and 70% nets him the full $750,000.
In regard to sacks, "he will earn $250,000 for six sacks, $500,000 for seven sacks and $750,000 for eight sacks."
To put everything into perspective, Melton has never played 60% of his team's snaps in any season, and posted a career-high in 2013 with seven sacks -- meaning that the odds are stacked against the 27-year-old pass rusher to make the full $5 million in the first year of what could potentially end up being a four-year deal.
