Nielsen was a 6 year deal to a guy that was 32 years old already at the start of it
stuff like injuries should be the expectation when you're signing guys that old to 6 year contracts
Yeah, and he had a down year from it. His contract was also right around what players of his ilk typically sign. The gator deal was bad the moment the ink dried on it, it was clearly above what he should have been able to command and we saw that play out the following summer when players with similar roles and numbers signed for mush less around the league.
Though, I'd also be curious how often players have serious injury issues in any six year period of their careers. I mean, I always assumed younger guys just stay healthier (or are able to play through injuries at a higher level?) but I might be entirely wrong about that. I just have what I see to go on. It would be interesting to see someone try to run down some actual numbers on it.