Another mainstay of the Buffalo Bills fearsome defensive front has gotten his big pay day.
Defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, rumored to be in negotiations with the Bills on a new deal all preseason, finally ironed out a six-year, $100 million extension that includes $60 million in guarantees. The latter number is the highest amount of guaranteed money doled out to a non-quarterback in NFL history, exceeding the $59.96 million the Dolphins gave to Ndamukong Suh in one of the first big splash deals of free agency.
#Bills’ Marcell Dareus extension is a monster. 6 years, $100M, $60M in guarantees. Under contract for 7 yrs, $108M. @AdamSchefter had it 1st
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 10, 2015
Marcell Dareus reportedly getting $60M in guaranteed money; would make him highest-paid non-QB by guaranteed money (passing Suh, $59.96M)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 10, 2015
Dareus’ one-year option was picked up this offseason by the Bills after the expiration of his initial rookie deal. He will still make the $8.06 million he was already due to get in 2015, with his extension kicking in next season. That means he has been locked up for a total of seven years with the 25-year-old expected to make a total of $108.06 million.
The franchise has been committed to ensuring this immensely talented defensive front remains intact. Early on in free agency, they signed defensive end Jerry Hughes to a five-year, $45 million extension. Both Hughes and Dareus were part of a Bills defense that registered a total of 54 sacks last year which led the league. Their front four that also includes Mario Williams and Kyle Williams are expected to remain in Buffalo until 2017 at the earliest when those two players’ contracts expire. Hughes is signed through 2019 and Dareus through 2021.
The former standout at Alabama had been embroiled in a few off-field incidents over the course of his first four seasons in the league. In May of 2014, Dareus was involved in a street-racing incident in a Buffalo suburb where he crashed his Jaguar into a tree. After being charged with multiple traffic violations, he eventually reached a plea deal in the matter.
That same month, Dareus was pulled over in Alabama and charged with felony possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. A year later, the NFL would act, handing down a one-game suspension for violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. This means Dareus will miss the Bills’ season-opener this Sunday when they welcome the Indianapolis Colts to Ralph Wilson Stadium.
Those issues aside, the Bills know they have something special with their defensive line. The key this offseason has been to establish some certainty and continuity in getting these players signed long-term. Now that they’ve done this, the next step is to have this unit play a role in ending a playoff drought (dating back to 1999) that has been the bane of this franchise’s existence for way too long.
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