After the signings of interior offensive lineman Luke Bowanko and tight end Troy Niklas were announced earlier this week, the details of the two one-year agreements were made public on Friday morning. The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin provided the insight.
Patriots TE Troy Niklas got a 1 year, $940k deal with $175k gtd. Includes $75k signing bonus, $75k workout bonus and $100k of his $790k base salary gtd. Cap number $940k.
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) April 6, 2018
OL Ross Bowanko got 1 year, $835k deal. Includes $45k signing bonus and $790k salary. Cap number $675k
The breakdown on Niklas’s deal:
2018
Salary: $790,000 ($100,000 guaranteed at signing)
Signing bonus : $75,000
Workout bonus: $75,000
2018 Cap Figure: $940,000
With the regime change in Arizona, the Cardinals decided to move on from the former second-round selection who never seemed to be able to get on track due to injuries throughout his first four seasons.
However, the Patriots clearly value the upside he possesses, as cutting the 270-pound Notre Dame alum would create $250,000 in dead money. The dead money doesn’t quite make him a lock coming out of training camp though, as the Patriots have shown the willingness to cut bait with under-performing tight ends with whom they’ve made a significant guaranteed commitment. See: Clay Harbor.
The breakdown on Bowanko’s deal:
2018
Salary: $790,000
Signing bonus : $75,000
2018 Cap Figure: $645,000
The fifth-year lineman’s deal is your run-of-the-mill Minimum Salary Benefit agreement, just like tackle Matt Tobin’s. He’ll presumably provide competition for players like Ted Karras and James Ferentz in training camp.
The moves bring the Patriots’ cap space figure, according to the NFLPA’s website, to $14,296,158, which does not include the recent signing of Jordan Matthews, but does include a $619,200 preemptive accounting charge for the team’s offseason workout bonuses. The figure is a presumption that 80 players will participate in 36 workout sessions at $215 per session. A credit will be applied to the team’s cap this summer if and when the actual payout figure is reported to the league.