Fred Warner #54 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The 49ers gave linebacker Fred Warner a five-year, $95 million contract that reset the market. Niner Noise explains why he is worth every penny.
Contracts and contract extensions in the NFL are perhaps the most unique of any sport. Because of a hard cap, partially guaranteed contracts, and no max contract limit, any player could be conceivably paid any amount any year. The guiding principle of contracts then becomes a keyword every football fan has heard at least once: positional value.