After the Redskins announced that they had signed Chris Baker to a new contract, the numbers that came out seemed rather high for a role player who has the potential to develop into a solid starter. What we heard from various media reports was a three-year deal worth $12 million with $4 million guaranteed.

Those numbers were announced by Baker’s agents and when that happens it’s usually best to wait until we see the details of the contract before passing judgment on it. And this morning, thanks to John Keim of ESPN, we have those details. It’s not surprising that the deal is not nearly as generous to the player as it seemed to be at first glance.

In each of the three seasons of the deal, Baker has $1 million in incentives based on things like sack totals and Pro Bowl appearances that, according to Keim, he is unlikely to earn. So now where down to a three-year, $9 million deal where Baker will be able to make more if he performs at a very high level.

Since the incentives are unlikely to be earned they don’t count against the cap (if he does earn them some or all of money in a season will be charged to the following year’s cap). His cap number this year will be $2 million and it tops out at $4 million in the third year of the contract.