Andre Dillard is WSU’s newest millionaire

Good morning. With the NFL Draft having concluded, a handful of now-former Washington State Cougars football players have begun pursuit of a professional career. They range from a first round pick (Andre Dillard) to a guy who will attend a rookie camp tryout (Peyton Pelluer). So now that they’re professionals, how will they be compensated? A look back through previous numbers gives us a pretty good idea of what the two Cougar draftees will earn.

Let’s start with Dillard, WSU’s newest millionaire. As part of the NFL/NFLPA’s 2011 collective bargaining agreement, rookie contracts and compensation are slotted on a sliding scale. All first round contracts are four years, with a fifth-year team option. The best part for first round picks like Dillard is the contract is fully guaranteed.

Like every rookie, Dillard’s first year salary will be about $480,000. The big difference comes in the signing bonus and the salary for the succeeding years. While we don’t know the exact figures of Dillard’s impending deal, due to the size of the team’s rookie pool as a percentage of the overall salary cap, we can estimate based on increases over the past three seasons.

Beginning in 2016, the 22nd picks in the NFL Draft were Washington Redskins receiver Josh Doctson, Miami Dolphins defensive end Charles Harris and Tennessee Titans linebacker Rashaan Evans. According to OverTheCap, Doctson’s compensation totaled $10,049,644, Harris’ pay is $10,843,976 and Evans will earn $11,577,192. The contracts are split up between salary and signing bonus, and again, both figures are fully guaranteed.

If we tease out the year-over-year salaries, they come out to a rough increase of $775,000 per deal. This means that when Dillard signs his name on a piece of paper, he will be guaranteed a sum of roughly $12,350,000, and about $7M of that will arrive right away. I HOPE YOU’RE READING THIS, COUGAR ATHLETIC FUND MANAGEMENT.

Now, about that option. Another aspect of the 2011 CBA was the fifth-year team option for first round picks. Using Dillard as the example, the Eagles will have to decide whether to pick up his fifth-year option some time between the last game of the 2021 season and 03 May, 2022. If the Eagles exercise the option - and assuming he plays left tackle - Dillard’s 2023 compensation will be an average of the 3rd to 25th highest left tackle salaries from the prior season.

The one difference in the fifth-year option from the first four years is that it is only guaranteed for injury. If Dillard has a clean physical after 2022 but his play declines (for example), the Eagles can cut him before the start of the 2023 league year (roughly mid-March) with no salary cap implications. If Dillard is on the roster on the first day of the league year, his fifth-year salary becomes fully guaranteed. Regardless, Dillard is set to be compensated handsomely for at least the next four years of work.

As far as Gardner Minshew II, things aren’t quite as rosy, but I don’t think he really cares. Looking back at the previous three draftees taken with the 178th overall pick, Minshew can expect a signing bonus of about $200,000. That is the only guaranteed part of the contract he will sign. If he is on the opening day roster, his salary will be somewhere between $480,000 and $500,000.

Judging by the last two players who were taken at 178, Miami Dolphin Davon Godchaux and New England Patriot Christian Sam, Minshew’s contract will call for a raise of about $90,000 year-over-year if he continues to make the team. As with all draftees not taken in the first round, Minshew could theoretically renegotiate his contract after three seasons if he is in a position to do so.

I do know one thing: Jacksonville Jaguars preseason football will be appointment viewing come next August.

Boobie Williams will likely get a high five-figure signing bonus from the Chiefs, and will make a little south of $500,000 if he’s on the opening day roster, just like any late round draftee.

Football

Washington State Football: Cougars' 2019 Schedule Analysis
Washington State isn't getting much attention in the Pac-12 North title conversation. Still, you can bet the Cougars will be a factor in the race when all is said and done.

NFL Draft

One year after prophetic tweet, Washington State QB Gardner Minshew selected in NFL draft by Jacksonville | The Spokesman-Review
Jacksonville’s sixth-round pick arrived at approximately 12:30 p.m. Pacific time. Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell phoned Minshew, asking the QB if he was “ready to move back East?” Minshew replied, “Hell, yeah, let’s do it.”

At-a-Glance: Jaguars 2019 draft class - The Florida Times-Union - Jacksonville, FL
A look at the Jaguars’ 2019 draft class.

Andre Dillard seems destined to finish what the Eagles started in drafting him
“I’ve always just had this thing about me where I like to finish what I started,” Dillard said Friday. “I don’t ever want to leave anything with regrets, and I just really kept trusting it.”

This Week in Parenting

My TV tells me that April is the month of the military child. I don’t know if there’s a month/week/day remaining on the calendar that doesn’t celebrate something anymore, but that’s another matter. Being a military kid has its advantages, but there are some real disadvantages, too. Chief among them is the fact that they never really get to put down roots and develop childhood friendships that many people take for granted. My oldest had moved four times before he turned 10.

At our last assignment in Tampa, we were lucky enough to live two houses down from two other boys whose ages matched theirs exactly. Even though their parents were Ohio State fans, we got along quite well. We moved away after less than two years. Kids are remarkably resilient, and their ability to adapt to new places is remarkable. Still, part of me laments at the fact that they’ve never been able to stay in one place for more than three years. Well, except for Portales, New Mexico of course because eff that dump.

So anyway, here’s to my two boys, who will hopefully have a non-transient place to live by the time the enter high school. Related - I walked them to the bus stop once this week, where they wait with some high schoolers who take a different bus. Those older kids look like the most miserable people on Earth. High school is apparently still the worst.

A few other quick-hitters after last week’s novella.

• We had to sign a permission slip for the fifth-grader to attend the Health class this week, which resulted in a near-existential crisis for Mrs. Kendall. It wasn’t because of the class content as much as because it means her son is reaching that age. I haven’t received a debriefing yet, but I look forward to finding out what his impressions were.
• The seven year-old and I were building his P-38 Lightning Lego knock-off on Monday. When we finished, I began to get up and talk about what I was going to do next. Before I could throw out an idea, the 10 year-old completed the sentence for me when he said, “Get a beer and pat yourself on the back?” MAYBE
• Later in the week, as we were watching the draft, the kids were enthralled by the absurd fan reactions when chief stooge Roger Goodell announced the draft picks. The 10 year-old piped up and said “Looks like they’ve had a few too many beers.” MAYBE
• Finally, as I was enjoying a Chimay Blue with lunch yesterday, the 10 year-old asked whether he could try it, and I obliged. Predictably, he thought it was terrible (it is definitely not terrible). That prompted the seven year-old to pipe up and say, “Beer is too fizzy. I like wine better.” In case you hadn’t figured it out, we’re either awesome or horrible parents.

Beer

Best beer I had this week: Once again, Mikkeller beer mail came through. This time it was Guava Have Faith, courtesy of Northern Monk Brewing. Really, really good.

Regarding the link, spicy beers are quite the niche area, and they’re tough to balance (much like maple beers). The best one I ever had was Green Flash’s Dia de los Serranos. Unfortunately, Green Flash got way over its skis in terms of expansion and is no longer around.

Craft Brewing’s Hot New Style? Beer Made With Spicy Chili Peppers - Bloomberg
From San Diego to Denmark to South Carolina, wild experimentation with heat is creating a thrilling—and palate-threatening—craft beer experience.

Non-Sports

This article caught my eye, and is a bit troubling. When I was a kid (in high school I think), the dentist who we’d been seeing for years moved away, so we had to find someone new. Mom decided on a dentist who was just down the hall from where she worked, and I went there for a regular cleaning. At the end, he suggested a litany of procedures despite the fact that I’d rarely had dental issues. Mom decided immediately that we were going somewhere else, and the next dentist didn’t suggest any of those same procedures. Hmm.

Many years later, when my family was living in New Mexico, the dentist told my wife she needed a crown. She went in for the procedure, and the dentist billed the insurance company for a crown. She began experiencing severe pain and facial bruising shortly afterward, and went back for additional treatment that didn’t solve the issues. She decided to see a different dentist, who informed her that the previous guy hadn’t installed a crown after all, and had falsely billed the insurance company.

We hired an attorney and filed a lawsuit. When confronted with the fact that he had falsely billed the insurance company and lied about which procedure he’d done, he chalked it up to a clerical error. I will never understand how so many people in positions of authority lack basic morals and ethics, and opt to take advantage of those in their care.

Is Dentistry a Science? - The Atlantic
It’s much less scientific—and more prone to gratuitous procedures—than you may think.