When Washington outside linebacker Junior Galette suffered a torn Achilles tendon today, it was a costly blow for the team’s defense.
It also hit him in his wallet.
According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports, Galette’s deal included a clause for a preseason split salary, which called for his salary to go from $745,000 this year to $413,000 if he were hurt in the preseason, meaning he lost $332,000 today.
Such clauses aren’t necessarily unusual, but that might not be the end of the financial hit for Galette.
Garafolo also reports the Saints are claiming he voided his base salary guarantee of $1.25 million for this year, though no reason is given for that claim.
Of course, the Saints have already paid him $17 million for the first year of a four-year extension before cutting him after a domestic abuse arrest. So it’s not as if he’s hurting for money, as it were. But the split contracts also show the kind of leverage teams have over players, since they’ll take them betting on themselves to not get injured in the preseason.
