McNabb’s New Deal Is Loaded With Incentives and Outs

There is less to Washington Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb’s contract extension than we thought.

Here’s the deal. McNabb gets the full amount of $78 million if he plays every game of the 2011-2015 season. McNabb is due $3.5 million to sign the extension and a $250,000 bonus if he is active for the remaining eight games of this season.

There is a gotcha. The rest of the contract kicks in if the Redskins decide to keep McNabb in 2011. The team would then owe him a $10 million bonus and would be obligated for the balance of the contract. If the Redskins choose not to keep him, the team is free from the contract and McNabb becomes an unrestricted free agent.

The Redskins got an immediate public relations kick after universal criticism for benching McNabb in the Detroit Lions game by allowing McNabb’s agent to gush about the deal. The details are emerging from sources in the NFL Players Association as reported on ESPN.com.

As a management-oriented guy, I see the beauty of the deal from the front office’s view. McNabb is very confident that he will be a Redskin next season. The team may still be in the market for Michael Vick’s services.