Colts defensive lineman DeForest Bucker signed a two-year extension earlier this week.
Here are the full details of the deal, per a source with knowledge of the terms:
1. Signing bonus: $18 million.
2. 2024 base salary: $2.25 million, fully guaranteed.
3. 2025 offseason roster bonus $10 million, fully guaranteed.
4. 2025 base salary: $13 million, fully guaranteed.
5. 2026 offseason roster bonus: $10 million.
6. 2026 base salary: $13 million. ($10 million of the 2026 compensation package is guaranteed for injury only at signing. It becomes fully guaranteed in 2025.)
Most extensions aren’t truly extensions; the old deal is ripped up and a new deal takes its place. This deal is more like an extension, in that Buckner’s pay for 2024 remains the same as it was — $20.25 million.
The practical guarantee is $53.25 million, since the $10 million injury guarantee for 2026 becomes fully guaranteed in 2025.
The new-money average is $23 million. The total average at signing for the three-year contract is $22.08 million.
