New Orleans Saints Pro Bowl guard Jahri Evans signs $56.7M deal [View All]

ESPN.COM / 5-5-10

New Orleans Saints Pro Bowl guard Jahri Evans is now the highest-paid interior lineman in the NFL.

Evans, 26, and the Saints agreed on a seven-year deal announced by the team Wednesday.

The contract is worth $56.7 million and Evans will receive $19 million in the first year and $25.7 million over the first three years of the deal, sources told ESPN's NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Evans' Philadelphia-based agent, Jerrold Colton, confirmed the deal was the richest contract ever given to an NFL guard.

MORE: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5165219

Too much? Not according to head coach Sean Payton: ""It's important to recognize, with what we do offensively, and the quarterback stepping up in the pocket, to have that size and talent inside the pocket I think is huge for Drew Brees and I think Drew would say the same thing."

I don't know how much is guaranteed, but it sounds like close to $45 million might be. Holy cow.