Quotables: Andy Dalton inks a new deal, David Wilson’s career in jeopardy
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton signed a huge six-year, $115 million contract and David Wilson received very bad news regarding the future of his career on Monday.
Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
The Cincinnati Bengals signed quarterback Andy Dalton to a six-year, $115 million contract extension on Monday. The deal reportedly includes $96 million in base salary with plenty of escalators that could take it up to the $115 million number. He’ll get a signing bonus of $12 million and will earn a $5 million roster bonus this week, giving him $18 million guaranteed in his first year, counting his base salary.
Actually hitting the escalators to maximize the full potential of the contract isn’t totally out of reach, but Dalton will have to be playing well. He has to participate in at least 80 percent of the team’s offensive snaps while also making it to the Divisional round of the playoffs to get another $1 million in each year of the deal. The other escalators in the contract are similar in nature, including an additional $1.5 million every season if he guides the Bengals to a Super Bowl win. According to Dalton, “it’s my job to lead us there.”
"We let [David Wilson] know that by playing, he would be putting himself at risk for more episodes like last week or perhaps something more serious."
-Dr. Russell Warren, New York Giants
New York Giants running back David Wilson was advised on Monday that he should give up playing in the NFL. Team physician Dr. Russell Warren and Dr. Frank Cammisa Jr., a spine specialist, examined Wilson following a training camp injury from last week, and concluded that Wilson was putting himself in serious risk playing football.
Wilson has diffuse cervical stenosis, and had a disc removed and a fusion in January. He injured his neck in a recent practice and has not been back since then. Warren said that he told Wilson that “he should not play football any more,” and that “he would be putting himself at risk for more episodes like last week or perhaps something more serious.”
“Any time an athlete goes through an injury like that ... you kind of re-evaluate your life.”
Houston Texans running back Arian Foster is back with the team and hoping to contribute in 2014. He’s been expected back all offseason, and will be the starter when the regular season gets underway, but said in an interview on Monday that he contemplated leaving the game. Foster’s 2013 season was cut short due to a back injury, and he revealed that he had to “re-evaluate” his life afterward.
Foster said that you “see what’s really important” and that football is a “really brutal sport.” He said that he asked himself if it’s worth it to come back from something like that, according to ESPN. He also talked about meeting Earl Campbell, a former running back in the NFL who has to use a wheelchair partly due to the effects of football on his body. Clearly that jarred him, but he’s here to play for the time being.
“It’s been an honor to be a part of the organization and city.”
Former Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Jason Pinkston will likely have to call it a career due to a blood clot in his lung. Pinkston missed the 2012 season due to the blood clots, and has been absent from training camp. Pinkston was waived by the team on Monday and it looks as though the injury will force him to retire from the NFL.
Pinkston texted Adam Schefter of ESPN and said it’s “more than likely” that he’ll have to retire. He then thanked Browns general manager Ray Farmer and owner Jimmy Haslam. Pinkston was a fifth-round pick by the Browns in 2011 and started all 16 games as a rookie. Since then, though, he’s started just eight games.
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