Defensive back Eric Wright during Bucs' organized team activities in May. (Photo: Kim Klement, USA TODAY Sports)
The big-money contract Eric Wright signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 16 months ago only kept him there one season.
The Bucs announced on Friday afternoon they've traded the veteran cornerback to the San Francisco 49ers for a conditional pick in the 2014 draft.
Wright, 27, parlayed a strong 2011 season with the Detroit Lions into a five-year, $35.3 million contract that included $15 million guaranteed from the Bucs, who were among free agency's big spenders last year.
But Wright started only 10 games for the Bucs, recording 39 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery. He accepted a restructure of the contract in April that reduced his scheduled 2013 salary from $7.75 million to $1.5 million, with another $1.5 million available in incentives, and deleted the three remaining seasons.
That $7.75 million was fully guaranteed, but Wright's four-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs - he said he took Adderall to deal with "health issues" - voided the guarantee. A grievance on the matter was denied.
BACK IN THE SADDLE: Kiffin returns to NFL with Cowboys
That contract now belongs to the 49ers, who have stocked up on veteran cornerbacks. They started Carlos Rogers, 32, and Tarrell Brown, 28, during their NFC title run last season. In April, they added veteran Nnamdi Asomugha, 32, on a one-year, $1.35 million deal.
The 49ers are Wright's fourth team in as many years. He played his first four seasons with the Cleveland Browns, who drafted him in the second round (53rd overall) out of UNLV in 2007, before joining the Lions in 2011.
The Bucs swung an offseason trade with the New York Jets for star cornerback Darrelle Revis, who now could end up starting opposite Johnathan Banks, a rookie second-round pick out of Mississippi State.
No comments:
Post a Comment