Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, December 24, 1993 TAG: 9312240103
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: IRVING, TEXAS LENGTH: Medium
The 27-year-old quarterback will receive an $11 million signing bonus and salaries ranging from $1.75 million in 1994 to $7.5 million in 2000. Leigh Steinberg, Aikman's agent, said Aikman is the first NFL player signed through the rest of the decade.
"This makes Troy a Cowboy for life," Steinberg said.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones put the scope of the contract in perspective.
"I paid $65 million for the Cowboys and $75 million for the stadium," he said at a news conference. "Let it be said we have a commitment to keeping the team together."
"I'm thrilled to get the contract over with," he said. "It makes me feel relieved to get this behind me and know I'm going to be here with the Dallas Cowboys basically until the end of my career."
Aikman said he wasn't hesitant about making an eight-year commitment because Jones and coach Jimmy Johnson have "shown they are willing to do what is necessary for us to be competitive, year in and year out and to field a winning football team."
He also said he wasn't too concerned about becoming the NFL's highest paid player.
"Under different circumstances, I would have been willing to take less than somebody else, and I'm sure there will come a point where someone is making more money than I am now," he said.
The timing of the deal is significant because it was the last day NFL teams were able to rewrite contracts without the entire packages being subject to the salary cap, which goes into effect for the first time after this season.
There was speculation both sides wanted to see the terms of the league's new television contracts before making a deal. The television pacts, worth $4.42 billion, were agreed to in the last week and could give each NFL team as much as $8 million more than expected.
Aikman's 1993 salary was increased from $1.12 million to $2.5 million. He will earn $1.75 million next year, as opposed to the $1.37 million he was due under the previous deal, which would have expired after the 1994 season.
In subsequent years, Aikman collects $4.15 million, $4.9 million, $5.25 million, $6.2 million, $6.75 million and $7.5 million. The average salary is $6.25 million per year, easily beating Steve Young's $5.35 million average, the highest in the league.
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB