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Graham Contract Details Revealed |
 Bucs running back Earnest Graham received no guaranteed money as part of his contract extension (Cliff Welch) |
Bucs RB Earnest Graham inked his three-year, $10.5 million contract extension earlier this week. PewterReport.com has the details of Graham's new contract, which included no signing bonus and no guaranteed money. Graham is scheduled to receive a $1 million bonus upon reporting to training camp on July 25.
Tampa Bay running back Earnest Graham felt he deserved a new contract after he rushed for 898 yards (4.0 avg.) and 10 touchdowns in place of injured running backs Cadillac Williams and Michael Pittman in 2007.
A former undrafted free agent out of Florida, Graham hired agent Drew Rosenhaus to negotiate a new deal with the Bucs. After skipping all of Tampa Bay's voluntary workouts, Graham reported to the team's three-day mandatory mini-camp last month and said he was confident his contract situation would resolve itself.
He was right. Bucs general manager Bruce Allen and Rosenhaus hammered out Graham's new deal in Tampa on Sunday. The end result led to Graham inking a new, three-year contract extension worth $10.5 million on Monday.
But Graham will still have to work his way on to Tampa Bay's 53-man roster in order to see any of it.
PewterReport.com has learned that Graham's new deal did not include a signing bonus or any guaranteed money or incentives.
Graham, 28, was scheduled to earn $605,000 in base salary in 2008. His new deal calls for Graham to earn $1.5 million in base salary this year. Graham is also scheduled to earn a $1 million roster bonus upon reporting to training camp on July 25.
The Bucs offense finished the 2007 season ranked 11th in rushing, which was the highest a Gruden-coached ground attack ever ranked in Tampa Bay since his arrival in 2002. Graham played an integral role in helping to accomplish that feat.
Graham's base salary is scheduled to jump up to $2 million in 2009. He is also scheduled to receive a $500,000 roster bonus.
In 2010, Graham is set to earn $2 million in base salary and scheduled to receive a $1 million roster bonus.
The final year of Graham's contract calls for him to earn $2 million in base salary. He is also scheduled to receive a $1.105 million roster bonus in 2011.
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Comments
mattym3
7:44pm, July 1, 2008
Kool Herc
8:10pm, July 1, 2008
rayqn11
8:14pm, July 1, 2008
djthumper123
8:33pm, July 1, 2008
Horse
He probably could have done just as good or better and left that agent out of it. I think we got the better of this contract.
Go Bucs
10:13pm, July 1, 2008
scubog
Some fans called Graham "Mr. August" because he looked good in pre-season games. So did Jerry Goldstein. Most of us didn't realize Graham was absent from the OTA's in past years. Maybe if Earnest had showed up in the past for OTA's from March to June he might have been Mr. September to January.
Somehow I think a third string player should have been working with the rest of his teammates during OTA's . There are sure a lot of other borderline players out there working their butts off with little chance of making the team while Earnest was at the beach.
He'll have to be "Earn it" Graham to see much of that money and rightfully so.
PS: For you recent Buc's fans, Jerry Goldstein was a quarterback drafted (12th round) by the Giants in 1976 and released. He was picked up by the Bucs in the late 70's and looked great in the 4th quarter of a preseason game so the fans got all excited. He started the first game of the season with much fanfare only to fall flat on his face.
7:02am, July 2, 2008
surferdudes
10:10am, July 2, 2008
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