| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |
| Salary | 1.25M | 3M | 4.5M | 5.25M |
| 46-Man Roster Bonus | 400k | 400k | 400k | 400k |
| Work Out Bonus | 100k | 100k | 100k | 100k |
| Signing Bonus Amortization | 1.25M | 1.25M | 1.25M | 1.25M |
| Total Salary Cap Hit | 3M | 4.75M | 6.25M | 7M |
for Comparison, below is Whitner's Contract Details
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |
| Salary | 2M | 4.5M | 6.2M | 6.3M |
| Signing Bonus Amortization | 2.25M | 2.25M | 2.25M | 2.25M |
| Total Salary Cap Hit | 4.25M | 6.75M | 8.45M | 8.55M |
ANALYSIS
Clearly, Donte Whitner is getting more money every year over 4 years, but the real difference comes in the details. Whitner's 6.5M salary through 2015 is effectively gauranteed, compared to Bethea's 5.25M, which requires Bethea to make the 46-Man Roster all 16 games for 2 seasons and attend offseason workout sessions for 2 seasons. Under this deal, SF safeguards their money in the event Bethea is injured or has off the field issues that cause him to not stay on the team.
Another important note to make is the salary cap hit in 2015, Whitner (6.75M) vs Bethea (4.75M). There is only a 2M difference, but that can be a big deal next year when SF has plenty of key players headed towards Free Agency.
At first, Bethea's intially reported 4yr/$26M contract was disconcerning, but I suspected it would be a total lower amount, with several incentives to safegaurd the franchise. Bethea is really on a 2yr/$10.25M, whereas Donte is really on a 2yr/$15.5M. For me, $5.125M a year for a 31 year old Safety is still too much, especially with a $4.75M Cap hit in 2015.
