Stephen Nicholas is a serviceable starting linebacker in this league and they get him at a good rate, 17.5 million over 5 years. However, I don’t like the idea of giving an average player a five year deal. Nicholas is only 27, so it might not be the worst thing in the world, but if they ever decide they want to replace him in the starting lineup with someone better than him, he’ll still be owed a lot of money over a long period of time.

Grade: B