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Today, we’re discussing defensive lineman Mike Daniels and his contract demands. The Packers want to lock Daniels up, but with the regular season just two weeks away, the two sides are “far apart” on extension negotiations. Set to earn a base salary of $1.542MM in 2015, Daniels is looking for a salary in the neighborhood of $10MM annually. The Packers, meanwhile, have made multiyear proposals averaging “several million less” per year.
At first glance, $10MM per season seems pretty steep for the former fourth round pick, who only has one season as a starter under his belt. However, Daniels’ camp seems to be inspired by recent deals for Corey Liuget and Cameron Heyward, who each cracked an AAV of $10MM on their recent pacts. On the other hand, the Packers have talked players like Randall Cobb and Bryan Bulaga into signing below-market deals to help keep their core in tact, and they could be putting pressure on Daniels to do the same.
Do you think Daniels deserves a deal in the vicinity of $10MM per year? What kind of contract do you think he’ll get? Let us know in the comments!
No, he is only worth 6 million per year
Assuming Daniels plays as well in 2015 as he did in 2014, I think he could probably get $10MM per year on the open market, so there’s no reason for him to settle for significantly less from the Packers.
I applaud guys like Cobb and Bulaga for taking those hometown discounts and allowing the team the flexibility to keep all (or at least most) of its key players. But NFL players have a short window to maximize their earnings, so I certainly don’t blame anyone who isn’t as interested in taking that sort of below-market deal.
If Daniels is willing to compromise, I could see something in the range of $8MM per year working for both sides, with Julius Peppers’ big contract coming off the books within the next year or two.