Well, y’all might have heard of a fella named Giovani Bernard. Now, this young man’s been around the block in the NFL for a good while. If you don’t know much about him, let me tell ya, he’s a running back, and he’s had quite the ride with a few teams. Let me break down a bit of his contract situation for ya, nice and simple.
So, back in the day, when Bernard was still playin’ for them Cincinnati Bengals, he signed a pretty hefty contract. That was back in 2014, and it was a four-year deal worth a total of $5,253,862. Now, that’s a lotta money, ain’t it? A big chunk of that was a signing bonus of $2,200,612, which is like a nice little gift to get him started. And don’t forget about the guaranteed money, which was $3,249,487. That means no matter what, they was gonna pay him that much even if things didn’t work out on the field.
Here’s the breakdown:
- 4-year contract worth $5,253,862
- Signing bonus of $2,200,612
- Guaranteed money of $3,249,487
- Average annual salary of $1,313,466
Now, over the years, Bernard sure did make a name for himself, but things don’t always stay the same in the world of football. Sometimes players move around, or contracts get restructured. In 2022, he signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That contract was for the veteran minimum, so he earned about $1.075 million for that season. Not too shabby for a one-year deal, eh?
But it ain’t just about how much money he got paid. It’s about how long he stayed with the teams and how that money was spread out. Over his career, his largest cash payment came in 2016 when he saw $6,321,364 in his pocket. Now, I don’t know about you, but I reckon that’d be a nice amount to retire on! And his biggest cap number, which is the amount the team had to count against the salary cap for that year, was $5,316.
Let’s look at the overall numbers:
- Career Average Annual Salary (APY): $2,938,834
- Total Guarantees: $11,994,400
- Largest Cash Payment: $6,321,364 (2016)
- Largest Cap Number: $5,316
Now, just a few years ago, in 2016, Bernard extended his stay with the Bengals with a three-year contract extension. That extension kept him on the team through 2019, and it showed they believed in him for the long haul. But, like I said, things change, and by 2022, he was lookin’ for a new home and signed with the Buccaneers.
It’s always somethin’ when a player’s contract is up, ‘cause you never know where they’re gonna end up next. But Bernard, he stuck it out in the league for quite a few years, and I reckon his hard work paid off. Even if you ain’t followin’ all the contracts and numbers, you can see that this man had a good career and earned his keep along the way.
Well, I hope this gives you a little better idea of how Giovani Bernard’s contract journey went. Whether he’s still playin’ or not, he sure made his mark in the NFL, and those numbers don’t lie. A solid career, that’s for sure!
Tags:[Giovani Bernard Contract, NFL, Running Back Contract, Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Football Career, NFL Salary, NFL Contracts, Veteran Minimum, NFL Signing Bonus]