Sunday, August 01, 1999Offer to Smith: Money for wins
QB would earn more if team succeeds
BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
GEORGETOWN, Ky. — The good news for rookie quarterback Akili Smith is the Bengals have structured a deal for him to make nearly $50 million over the next seven years. The catch:
Akili Smith
Smith would have to lead the Bengals to the playoffs twice or the AFC championship game once to make most of the money. If he is to qualify for any of his incentives, the team must win seven games in a season and he must play in more than three-quarters of the plays.
Details of the Bengals' proposal come on the heels of the signing of another high draft pick, quarterback Donovan McNabb, by the Philadelphia Eagles.McNabb, a former Syracuse quarterback taken the pick before Smith at No.2, signed a seven-year deal Friday night that could pay him $54 million if he reaches incentives.
The Eagles based the lucrative parts of McNabb's contract on indi vidual performance, and the Bengals are hooking the bulk of Smith's money to the team's performance.
It is improbable Smith's agent, Leigh Steinberg, will agree to a deal like that because the Bengals have the worst record in the NFL since 1989, haven't been to the playoffs since 1990 and have won seven games or more three times since 1991.
The fear Smith must have, sources said, is that he could make only the $10.8 million signing bonus and the minimum salaries if the team continues to struggle. Smith can add $1 million to those yearly salaries if he hits certain milestones in four categories, but the team has to win at least seven games.
“That's why we drafted him,” Bengals President Mike Brown said. “If he's good enough to make our team successful, he'll be paid like a big-time quarterback. If he doesn't, he'll be paid appropriately for how he plays.”
The Eagles avoided doing a buy-back deal in which they would have paid a large amount of money before the fourth year to keep McNabb long-term. Instead, he'll get big salaries in years four through seven ($3 million, $6.2, $7.5, $8.2) if he plays in 35 percent of the plays this season or 45 percent in years two or three. If he finishes in the NFL top eight in one of five categories, he'll get a $1 million salary to go with his minimum salaries.
The Eagles figure those $1 million incentives take care of what they would have had to pay in the buyback, but they spread it out yearly over the salary cap. That's what the Bengals were thinking when they offered Smith incentives worth $3 million to $7 million annually if he makes the playoffs, wins playoff games or takes the club to an AFC championship game.
The key, the Bengals say, is that if Smith triggers one of those post-season enhancers, he'll get that bounce for the next three years, not just for one year.
Steinberg was silent Saturday, but it's a deal that Smith's people don't like because it's more similar to the deal for New Orleans running back Ricky Williams rather than top-line quarterbacks such as No.1 pick Tim Couch. And it's not as good as McNabb's deal.
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