Denver Gives Davis $56 Million Deal
Terrell Davis, the Super Bowl MVP for the Denver Broncos, has agreed to a nine-year, $56.1 million contract that will make him the NFL's highest paid running back, according to a published report.
The Denver Post said Friday that Davis will sign the contract this weekend. The deal includes an $11 million signing bonus.
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"The only thing I can do to celebrate this is go out there and have a great 1998," Davis said Thursday. "For this deal, that's the only celebration I want to have."
"This ensures I'm in Denver for the rest of my playing days, and I've always wanted to be here. I don't want to play for 8 million teams. I want to be on one team, establish myself with one team, and that's it."
"I'm in Denver. I've enjoyed my stay here and hopefully I'm going to have another nine years here. One day I want to have my jersey retired here. When people come to Denver, I want them to think of me."
Davis, 25, a sixth-round draft pick out of Georgia in 1995, led the AFC in rushing the last two seasons, gaining 1,538 yards in 1996 and 1,750 last season. He rushed for 157 yards and three touchdowns in the Broncos' 31-24 Super Bowl victory over Green Bay.
Denver coach Mike Shanahan and Davis' agent, Neil Schwartz, completed the deal Thursday, with the Broncos tearing up the final three years of Davis' existing deal. They gave him a 532 percent pay raise, boosting his annual salary from $1.17 million to $6.34 million.
"It's amazing that there are players like Jim Brown, who made something like $85,000 a year and now here it is in 1998 and you have players making $5 million or $6 million a year," Davis said. "It just shows the sign of the times. But these days there's more money coming into the league, and my deal might be pretty big right now, but I can assure you in another two or threyears, my deal will just be another pea in the pod."
He said the money won't change his drive to succeed.
"Did Michael Jordan work less hard when he got that $30 million contract?" Davis said. "I don't think so. And neither will I."
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