Eric Fisher signs Contract extension

[cdumler7]

 

[Fountain City Blues]

Oh my...

 

[cdumler7]

Oh my...

I had to read it a couple of times to actually believe the Chiefs would sign him to that big of a contract. Just seems like they have doubled down on the idea that they don't want to admit that Fisher hasn't lived up to his 1st overall pick status. He has shown glimpses but that is about it and they are paying him like a top level guy for his position. Huge risk for the Chiefs especially when that could be money going to a guy like Berry who has proven his worth.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

Fisher has been inproving, but this is premature money wise without details.

 

[Clayton]

I had to read it a couple of times to actually believe the Chiefs would sign him to that big of a contract. Just seems like they have doubled down on the idea that they don't want to admit that Fisher hasn't lived up to his 1st overall pick status. He has shown glimpses but that is about it and they are paying him like a top level guy for his position. Huge risk for the Chiefs especially when that could be money going to a guy like Berry who has proven his worth.

Chiefs are all about positional value. When you do that, you pay your average young Lt and not your older pro bowl S.

It's a gamble but not as big as giving Berry a lot of guaranteed cash.

 

[Gatorchip]

Just seems like they have doubled down on the idea that they don't want to admit that Fisher hasn't lived up to his 1st overall pick status..

He turned out better than the other OT at least.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

He turned out better than the other OT at least.

If we drafted Joeckel, I might be in rehab by now with the amount of rum I'd be drinking.

 

[Davis_Mike]

Fisher is getting that franchise LT money. It's obvious that's where KC envisions him in the future. The total picture is 6 years $63 mil. 4/$48 of new money. It's a little premature since he had 2 years left, but it's not a bad deal if he moves to LT & plays well. Yearly big cap increases right now are paying average RTs $6+ mil a year.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

In terms of new money, 4/48 isn't TOO bad. It is however right in line with what Cordy Glenn got with the Bills and Fisher is going to need to continue improving in pass blocking to make that look good and there are signs that may be happening; Fisher looked better increasingly so as he was healthy in the 2nd half. Thought Fisher would get done first between Poe, Berry, and Fisher, but I am a bit surprised it wasn't closer to 10M. Pretty big gamble that's a bit hard for me to warm up to at the moment. Could end up looking smarter than it does now in two years, but there's considerable downside to such a contract as well.

If nothing else, this pretty much knocks off OT as a need for the Chiefs for the next several years with Schwartz and Fisher locked up.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

Something to keep in mind here- that 4/48 doesn't really kick in until 2018.

Over the next 6 years of control assuming Fisher lasts the entire contract, it's 63 million. Just over 10M AAV. How much is 12M AAV in 2018 money?

 

[cdumler7]

Something to keep in mind here- that 4/48 doesn't really kick in until 2018.

Over the next 6 years of control assuming Fisher lasts the entire contract, it's 63 million. Just over 10M AAV. How much is 12M AAV in 2018 money?

Good point but at the same time this does put Eric Fisher in the top-7 LT's when it comes to money. He has been nowhere near that level and when you throw in it is not only that his play hasn't been all that great or at least consistent but that he has struggled with injuries almost every single season. So can't stay healthy and hasn't been a very consistent performer that it just surprises me that they would do this deal at this point when they didn't have to. I would have waited just to see if he can actually stay healthy for a season.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

Good point but at the same time this does put Eric Fisher in the top-7 LT's when it comes to money. He has been nowhere near that level and when you throw in it is not only that his play hasn't been all that great or at least consistent but that he has struggled with injuries almost every single season. So can't stay healthy and hasn't been a very consistent performer that it just surprises me that they would do this deal at this point when they didn't have to. I would have waited just to see if he can actually stay healthy for a season.

The injuries certainly prevented him from gaining weight his first two years which was kind of irritating watching a large hobbled TE attempt to be an OT. Just watching him, I think he knew that and it was pretty obvious just how timid he was against any determined passrusher. With him coming to the season healthy, and maybe more importantly, confident in his abilities, I am quite interested to see how he does. Rather quietly once he took over for Stephenson at LT last year the team performed much better.

There isn't really quite a great comp contractually I can think of, but if we make the assumption the 2018 projected cap is reasonably correct, the comp is probably Russell Okung in terms of AAV. If by 2018, Fisher is an above average LT, the contract makes at least some sense in the crazy world of LT contracts. You're right in that the Chiefs technically didn't have to do this. However, I do think it demonstrates the FO believes he will continue to get better as the game slows down for him and adds more muscle to his frame, and there's a possibility the 2017 money could be moved in order to make room for Dontari Poe; which quite possibly is the real motivating factor for extending Fisher right now. An ultra-aggressive move like this one probably goes down as brilliant or really foolish.

Russell Okung for reference based on PFF numbers.

 

[tducey]

Bit of an overpayment here by the Chiefs IMO.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Only having surface knowledge here...I thought Fisher was on the bust trail, but apparently not the case for them to lock him up with 2 yrs on this deal.

 

[Rod Smart]

Z-

 

[Balljim55]

Mediocrity rewarded.

This is a lesson for everyone. You should always shoot for average. When you do a lot of good things then people start expecting that shit from you.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

F Grade.

I rarely give out an F grade, but I am blown away by this signing. Eric Fisher was one of the worst left tackles in the league over the last couple years so I have no idea why the Chiefs felt the need to give him $40M guaranteed. I get he's a #1 overall pick but admitting you made a mistake during a draft is far better than trying to justify the pick with a ridiculous contract like this one.

My only thought is Fisher has nude pictures of John Dorsey and blackmailed him into this contract.

 

[Stomp]

Only having surface knowledge here...I thought Fisher was on the bust trail, but apparently not the case for them to lock him up with 2 yrs on this deal.

With the rising cap GMs are going to want to get guys locked up as early as possible average contracts have been increasing by about 7 to 8% per season the last few years . In 2 years this deal will probably look like a bargain.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

With the rising cap GMs are going to want to get guys locked up as early as possible average contracts have been increasing by about 7 to 8% per season the last few years . In 2 years this deal will probably look like a bargain.

That part I get, top dollar today won't be top dollar in 2 yrs....it just seems like a lot for a guy that not too long ago was not noted to even be LT worthy....at the same time most of these highly drafted young LTs are not playing LT initially...maybe he's developed some.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

Something to keep in mind of when evaluating what 12m means in 2011 compared to the projected amount in 2018 which is when the new money starts for all intents and purposes.

2011: Joe Thomas: 10%
2016: Cordy Glenn 7.73%
2018: Eric Fisher: 6.74%

Add in Russell Okung's 10.5M (6.76%) and there's a general range of outcomes that can be made that make this deal at least somewhat acceptable as outcomes between the floor of Okung and whatever ceiling Fisher has to (presumably high to make the risk in this deal seem enticing) which we'll throw out Joe Thomas just to make the ceiling somewhat more concrete, even if there's a fairly low probabilty Fisher is ever that good.

There are several escalators relating to the probowl, as well as roster bonuses 2019-2021, but simplifying it is still basically the same schtick +/- a few million based on how he performs. It also creates about 3M total between this season and next (2.55M in 2018) which would be useful for extending Poe; potentially added opportunity value if executed correctly. He was rated as a roughly average OT last year, but it's also true he has improved every year with the last being a big jump, so I am not really sure what his peak looks like personally, he's only 25 and was obviously raw his first two seasons. Fisher didn't give up a sack for over 200 passing snaps, his first sack allowed was week 13 against Khalil Mack. That doesn't say much regarding the pressure (or quality thereof pressures) but I tend to think it does hint at upside there.


Courtesy of Terez Paylor, been waiting to see how the details worked for the past couple of days

According to the NFL Players Association, the Chiefs now have approximately $432,795 in cap space — the lowest in the NFL. Before the deal, they had $226,818, which means the Chiefs saved approximately $206,000 this year.

The Chiefs did net some savings in 2017, however, as Fisher’s cap charge in 2017 dropped from $11.9 million to $9.45 million, creating a savings about $2.55 million.

Before the season, the Chiefs will probably have to make some moves to clear up space. Teams like to have at least few million available in case they have to make a veteran addition or two due to injury or performance.

A few notes about Fisher’s contract. He will have cap numbers of $6.8 million for 2016, $9.45 million for 2017, $13.9 million for 2018, $13.1 million for 2019, $12 million for 2020 and $11.5 million for 2021. It included a $12.75 million signing bonus.

A significant portion of the guarantees in 2018 and 2019 — about $20 million — are guaranteed for injury, but a significant portion of Fisher’s 2018 salary (approximately $8.2 million) is essentially guaranteed, also, because he only has to be on the roster on the third day of the 2017 league year (which will be in early March) to collect it.

However, a significant portion of his 2019 salary (approximately $8.5 million) is only guaranteed if he’s on the roster by the third day of the 2019 league year. That means the Chiefs could reasonably get out of the deal before the 2019 season if Fisher does not live up to expectations.

The deal also contains a total of $2.5 million in Pro Bowl escalators from 2017 to 2021 and a total of $1.5 million in per game-roster bonuses from 2019 to 2021. There are also $1 million workout bonuses between 2018 and 2021.