Fitzgerald's Contract Could Help Berrian Break Bank

Here's a guess at a figure Fitzgerald will be gunning for--try $40 million over the first three seasons of the contract. If he's owed nearly $32 million for the next two seasons, why would he angle for anything less? Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney picked up $37.5 million in the first three years of his blockbuster extension. Fitzgerald has hit the levers in his contract to trigger a massive pay day, or massive pay days, and his windfall is going to come one way or another.

For the sake of comparison, say Fitzgerald gets just that from the Bidwill family -- $40 million over three seasons --where does Berrian stack up? No one is going to compare Berrian on the field to Fitzgerald, but in a pass-oriented system like Fitzgerald, Berrian's numbers would be enhanced. In a market with multiple bidders, could he could approach half of that $40 million? Remember, after Moss there just isn't competition for Berrian, not after Patrick Crayton took that four-year extension for $14 million in Dallas. Crayton's deal included only $6 million guaranteed, and no doubt many will want to use that as a measuring stick with Berrian.