08-25-2007, 09:20 AM
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#3 (permalink)
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Both of them
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 10,225
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Schobel signs 4-year extension
The Buffalo News: Bills & NFL: Schobel signs 4-year extension
Quote:
Aaron Schobel isn’t one to draw attention to himself, but he likes to know that his work on the field is being recognized.
That finally happened for the veteran defensive end last season when he earned his first Pro Bowl selection. On Friday, the Buffalo Bills also acknowledged his standing in the league by signing him to the richest contract in franchise and Buffalo sports history.
The deal was completed prior to the Bills’ 28-17 preseason loss to the Tennessee Titans at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
“Obviously I had three years left on my deal, so they didn’t have to do anything,” said Schobel, who indicated the contract was done before training camp, but some final details had to be hammered out before it could be completed. “It took a long time to get this done. I’m glad it’s done. It was good for both of us.”
Schobel’s contract is worth $50.5 million over seven years. That counts the three years Schobel had remaining on his existing contract and four years of an extension.
The deal includes a total of $21 million in guaranteed money to be paid out over the next four years.
In March, Bills starting left guard Derrick Dockery received a seven-year, $49 million free agent contract that included $18 million in guarantees. In terms of total value, Schobel’s contract also tops the seven-year, $50 million deal the Buffalo Sabres gave Thomas Vanek.
“We value Aaron very much,” said Jim Overdorf, the Bills’ vice president of football administration and chief contract negotiator. “Obviously, we want to keep our own and this is one of the ways to do it. We approached them, they approached us and we came to a common ground. It was a long process. Obviously, it worked out pretty well.”
Schobel’s contract, which averages $7.2 million per year, ranks him among the highest paid defensive ends in the NFL.
Just before training camp, Indianapolis made defensive end Dwight Freeney the highest paid defensive player with a six-year, $72 million deal that included $30 million worth of guaranteed money.
Last week, New England awarded defensive end Ty Warren a five-year, $36 million extension that included $17.5 million of guarantees.
“I think the reason we were able to get this deal done was because of the way Aaron has handled himself during his career in Buffalo,” said Schobel’s agent, Jeff Nalley, who along with assistant Vann McElroy has been working on the extension the last six months.
The Bills really had no choice but to give Schobel a raise after signing fellow defensive end Chris Kelsay to a fouryear contract that includes $14 million in guaranteed money and will pay him an average of $5.75 million. That put him above Schobel, who was scheduled to make $3.8 million per year over the last three years of his previous contract.
Schobel was not happy with that arrangement, especially considering Kelsay’s body of work pales considerably to his.
Schobel finished third in the league last season with a career- high 14 sacks. His 54 sacks over the last five years are fourth most in the NFL, behind only Jason Taylor, Simeon Rice and Freeney. Schobel has 60.5 sacks in his six-year career, ranking third on the Bills’ alltime list behind Bruce Smith and Phil Hansen. Kelsay has just 12.5 career sacks, including 5.5 last season.
“That was my argument the whole time,” Schobel said. “Look at what I’ve done. I feel that I should be paid for what I’ve done. Obviously they stepped up and did it.”
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