Full salary info, incentives in Parker’s Patriots contract extension revealed originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Many Patriots fans were surprised when news of a three-year, $33 million contract extension for wide receiver DeVante Parker surfaced late last month.
The price to extend Parker seemed steep after his debut season in New England that was OK but ultimately fell short of expectations. Parker tallied just 31 receptions for 539 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games last season. He has missed three or more games due to injury in four of the last six years.
Is that really worth $33 million?
Well, like most NFL contracts, it’s important to look at the fine print.
ESPN’s Field Yates reported the full contract details Thursday, including the salary information and specific incentives. There’s a pretty good chance Parker will fail to hit all the incentives and bonuses, especially if he doesn’t play all 17 games in each of these seasons.
FOX Sports’ Henry McKenna reported earlier this week that only $14 million of the $33 million is guaranteed.
After looking at the details, the Patriots aren’t committing much guaranteed money to Parker, and for him to earn the full $33 million, he’ll have to stay healthy and perform at a high level. And that wouldn’t be the worst outcome for the Patriots given their need for an impact player at the wide receiver position.
The fact that the contract also opens up $2.6 million in salary cap space for 2023 is helpful for the Patriots, too, especially as they remain interested in signing free agent wideout DeAndre Hopkins.