Don't we have the flexibility to do that down the line though (in 2 or 3 years)? If he sucks we release him after 2-3 years. If he's not that great, but he likes it here, we ask him to take a pay cut down the line (when theoretically we are trying to keep a good team together).This isn’t how NFL contracts work.
If Landry plays out the entire 5 year contract, he’s getting 75.5M dollars.
It’s *not* a 5 year, 47M dollar contract with 28M worth of additional incentives based on production.
I haven’t seen the full breakdown of the contract, but I do know that only way Landry doesn’t get all of the 75.5M money is if the Browns release him.
So yes, he’s only “guaranteed” 47M (and he’s actually only truly guaranteed 34M at signing), but he’s getting a lot more than 47M unless he gets released after 1 or 2 seasons.
We are one of the shittiest teams of all time, overpays are in the equation. They'll work if the player is actually productive, when they don't work is when the player turns into Albert Haynesworth or Suh.