Thanks to Todd Archer of ESPN DFW, we have details of Jay Ratliff’s new contract. As previously reported, the deal is for five years and $40 million. Archer reports that it is in $18 million in guaranteed money (incluing a $10 million signing bonus), rather than the initally reported $19 million.
Archer reports that the extension does begin after the two remaining years on Ratliff’s current deal, in which he is scheduled to earn a base salary of $4.9 million in 2012. That means that the Cowboys will be paying Ratliff big money through at least 2017, when he will be 36.
Extending Ratliff into his late 30’s represents significant risk for Jerry Jones, who has been burned by overextending numerous players on sizeable deals. Ratliff is still considered one of the best nose tackles in the league at age 30, but the beating he takes from two interior linemen on many plays can take its toll.