[Schneed10]

That Haynesworth deal, and the subsequent CBA, forever changed the way the Redskins approached contracts. They used to give all the guaranteed money up front in signing bonus fashion. Now they still give a bonus, though smaller, and instead tend to guarantee the first two or three years worth of base salary.

They also used to drop the base salary in the first year down to vet minimum. The CBA dictates that can no longer be done through some rules around base salary escalation. But I have no doubt that after Haynesworth the Redskins were happy to see that change. You can tell they like to stage the payouts in such a way that the player has to fly right to collect, including positioning the contract so that the player is not incentivized to throw a hissy fit.

Desean Jackson, good example. His contract is pretty evenly distributed between the three years. The third year is worth a good chunk of change, so much so that it's in his best interests to play to earn it. The potential gain from holding out is minimized when the salary in the 3rd year is fairly attractive.