Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus will earn just north of $8 million for the 2015 season after the team exercised its fifth-year option on his contract. For us normal folk, that is an astronomical amount of money. But for Dareus, it's just the tip of the iceberg.
Dareus and the Bills will have to work out a long-term extension before the 2016 season and that could get very pricey very quickly.
"Dareus looks to be in for a very big pay-day after the Dolphins recently signed DT Ndamukong Suh a 6-year, $114 million deal with $60 million of that guaranteed," Sal Capaccio of WGR550.com wrote.
"Last year, the Buccaneers signed DT Gerald McCoy to an extension of 7 years, $95.2 million with $51.5 million guaranteed. NFL Insider Ian Rapoport reported McCoy's deal could be worth up to $98 million total.
"Logic would dictate it will take somewhere in between these two deals to get Dareus locked up long-term. Above the McCoy numbers but short of the Suh deal."
Suh will earn an annual salary of $19 million while McCoy will pocket at least $13.6 million a year.
ESPN Bills reporter Mike Rodak believes these deals are a good starting point for the framework of a Dareus extension though he points out that the big defensive tackle will also have to watch his off field behavior.
"Dareus isn't yet on the level of Suh, one of the best players in the NFL, but at 25, Dareus is three years younger than Suh and has improved in each of the past two seasons...A more palatable benchmark for the Bills could be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' deal with Gerald McCoy, which averages $14 million over seven seasons. Part of the Bills' decision-making with Dareus will be factoring in his behavior off the field. Dareus was arrested twice last offseason and has an ongoing case in Hamburg, New York, for street racing charges stemming from the second arrest."
Dareus finished last season with 48 total tackles, 10 sacks and one forced fumble.
