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Last Friday, the Patriots announced the signing of offensive lineman Matt Tobin to a one-year contract.
According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the deal is worth a total of $815,000 in 2018.
Contract details for OT Matt Tobin: 1 year, $815,000. The deal doesn't include a signing bonus. Tobin gets a base salary of $790,000, and can earn an additional $25,000 in a workout bonus. His salary-cap charge is $655,000. There is also a split salary... https://t.co/Lx4jvA3yLK
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 21, 2018
The breakdown:
2018
Salary: $790,000
Signing bonus: $0
Per-game roster bonuses: $0
Workout bonus: $50,000
2018 Cap Figure: $655,000
The agreement qualifies as a Minimum Salary benefit deal, meaning the difference between Tobin’s salary and the salary of a player with two credited seasons ($160,000) is counted as a benefit, and thus not counted towards the team’s cap. Additionally, as reported by Reiss, the Patriots get a bit more relief from injury risk, as Tobin’s deal includes a split salary provision, dropping his salary to $458,000 in the event that he is injured in offseason workouts, OTAs, or training camp and has to be put on IR.
The Kirk Ferentz-Bill Belichick connection has been well documented throughout the years, and it is still having it’s influence on the Patriots organization. Tobin joins Cole Croston, James Ferentz and Riley McCarron as the fourth currently rostered Patriot to have also been a member of Kirk Ferentz’s 2012 or 2013 Iowa teams. Former Patriots from those teams also include running back LeShun Daniels, and linebacker James Morris.
After replacing a player in the top-51, the Tobin acquisition only directly cost the Patriots $25,000 in net cap space, bringing their current figure to a shade under $11 million.