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The Cleveland Browns have signed seven players via free agency, including RB Carlos Hyde, TE Darren Fells, OL Chris Hubbard, OL Donald Stephenson, DE Chris Smith, CB T.J. Carrie, and CB Terrance Mitchell. We are going to do one post per player, in that order, to see a breakdown of how their contract was structured.
We start with Hyde, who replaces RB Isaiah Crowell for 2018. We will look at the full, year-by-year contract details for Hyde, including his base salary, guaranteed money, and cap hits. Hyde’s deal is considered to be 3 years for $15.25 million with $5 million fully guaranteed.
RB Carlos Hyde’s Contract, Cap Hits Per Year
| Year | Base Salary | Signing Bonus | Roster Bonus | Workout Bonus | Total Cap Hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Base Salary | Signing Bonus | Roster Bonus | Workout Bonus | Total Cap Hit |
| 2018 | $1,500,000 | $1,166,666 | $400,000 | $100,000 | $3,166,666 |
| 2019 | $3,250,000 | $1,166,666 | $1,400,000 | $100,000 | $5,916,666 |
| 2020 | $4,500,000 | $1,166,668 | $400,000 | $100,000 | $6,166,668 |
| Total | $9,250,000 | $3,500,000 | $2,200,000 | $300,000 | $15,250,000 |
- Hyde has $5 million in full guarantees, which consists of his $1.5 million base salary in 2018 and his $3.5 million signing bonus that is pro-rated to about $1.167 million per year.
- Per Aaron Wilson, in 2019, if Hyde is still on the roster by the third day of the league year, then $2 million of his $3.5 million base salary for that season will become fully guaranteed (note: before the third day of that league year, the $2 million is guaranteed for injury). Hyde also has a $1 million roster bonus due on the same day for 2019.
- For every game that Hyde is active with the Browns, he will earn a $25,000 roster bonus, up to $400,000 per year for the life of the contract.
- Additionally, there are rushing yards, receiving yards, and touchdown escalators that can boost Hyde’s base salary from 2019-2020 by up to $1.5 million. It is unclear what the specifics of the escalators are.
In terms of average per year ($5.083 million), Hyde is the ninth-highest paid running back in the NFL. If Cleveland wants to cut him after this season, they would carry a dead cap hit of $2.33 million in 2019.
Isaiah Crowell got a 3-year, $12 million deal, with $4 million fully guaranteed. So one could say that based on the price tag, the Browns believe they upgraded the position. The team is also looking to presumably extend the contract of RB Duke Johnson, and it’s hard to imagine that he’d made less money than Hyde. If the Browns pay Hyde and Johnson to both be among the Top 10 highest earners in the NFL at their position, what are the odds of them drafting a running back at No. 4 overall?