Russell Okung Signs Four-Year Contract With Chargers Worth $53 Million

One year ago, Russell Okung negotiated his own contract with the Denver Broncos. He came away with a five-year deal worth a reported $50 million, but a clause in his contract gave Denver an option to opt out after year one — which they gladly ejected from. It was a bad deal, but it turns out it worked out in the long run.

His second attempt at being his own agent went over much better. Okung signed a four-year deal with the Chargers on Thursday, which the team announced Friday. His contract is worth $53 million according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.

“Russell has been a productive and efficient tackle in this league for a long time,” head coach Anthony Lynn said in a statement. “He is an athletic tackle who will bring leadership to our team. We see him being a cornerstone on our offensive line for years to come, and we’re thrilled to add him to the Chargers.”

Okung’s deal, according to Anderson, comes with much more guarantees than his previous contract. $25 million, in fact. Per Pro Football Focus’ Mike Florio, here’s the breakdown of his deal:

• $10 million signing bonus
• $3 million fully guaranteed base salary in 2017
• $12 million fully guaranteed base salary in 2018

That’s $25 million guaranteed bucks. Not too shabby, and certainly an upgrade from his Denver contract. Okung has a non-guaranteed base salary of $13 million in 2019 and $13 million in 2020, with roster bonus on a per game basis. The team can make it a two-year deal worth $26 million, and the max would be $53 million should he hit every contract escalator and the team opts to keep him. A weak free agent market allowed Okung’s value to balloon, and he took full advantage of it, while also apparently learning from his prior deal with the Broncos. That’s a smart (and now super-duper wealthy) former Cowboy.