Defensive end Olivier Vernon just signed a 5-year, $85 million contract with the newly spendthrift New York Giants. That means he’s happily a bit heavier than he was in Miami, where he played for the Dolphins for four seasons after three years at University of Miami. With $52.5 million of Vernon’s deal reportedly guaranteed, he’ll also have the added weight of huge expectations as he becomes a very expensive veteran under the bright media lights of New York City.
But how much weight does Vernon already carry? At 6’2″ with a reported 4.8-second 40-yard dash speed, the nimble Vernon is listed at a massive 350 pounds by Wikipedia. NBC’s Rotoworld, usually a reliable data source, lists Vernon at 275 pounds. Even for a 25-year-old man of such giant natural proportions, 75 pounds is a big difference. And pro-football reference, another reliable source, lists Vernon at just 261 pounds — even that 14 pound difference is significant for a defensive end. But Vernon will have to get used to numbers around him fluctuating: He made $3.7 million in his four years with the Dolphins; he’ll bring home almost $29 million in his first season with the Giants.
