Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has been an instrumental figure in lifting up the long-suffering franchise from the dregs of mediocrity in the NFL. Since Dalton arrived three seasons ago, the red-haired gunslinger has brought the Bengals to the playoffs each year, and even earned himself a Pro Bowl nod in 2011. Today, Cincinnati announced Dalton's reward for his performance: a six-year/$115M contract that is a substantial raise for the fourth-year starter.
Earlier in the offseason, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick signed an incentives-laden six-year/$126M deal with the team which pays him $61M in guaranteed money. The specifics of Dalton's contract remain unclear, but we can at least see that he is now in the same neighborhood as Kaepernick.
Of course, the difference in their respective contracts likely stems from Kaepernick's success in the playoffs and Dalton's relative lackthereof. Though Dalton has led the Bengals to the post-season in three straight seasons, Cincinnati has failed to win a single playoff game under his leadership. Meanwhile, Kaepernick has taken his Niners to the NFC Championship Game twice, winning the conference title once.
However, it's nice to see that Bengals owner Mike Brown kept his word about Dalton's payday. According to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com, when discussing Dalton's forthcoming extension earlier in the off-season, Brown stated his belief that Dalton deserved to be paid a similar amount to Kaepernick. Brown stayed true to his franchise's leader and, as a result, Dalton's Monday just got a whole lot better.
[via ESPN]
