"Many times those numbers come with an agenda and are nowhere close to accurate. I know, I've made the mistake of trusting people's word only to be disappointed when the truth comes out.
One recent example of this is the contract signed by Derek Cameron Wake. It was widely reported in January he signed a four-year deal that could be worth $4.9 million. Nope.
Wake's salary is scheduled at $310,000 in 2009, $395,000 in 2010, $480,000 in 2011 and $565,000 in 2012. That adds up to $1.75 million. He got approximately $1 million in bonuses and guarantees which bring the deal to about $2.7 million and he has another $900,000 or so in incentives that bring the potential total of the deal to about $3.6 million."
His contract was first printed in Canadian newspapers, which may have been converted into Canadian dollars by his agent or reporter. This would bring his salary up to about $4.3 million. The article did say his performance bonuses were "over $900,000 (U.S.)", just how much over may have been stretched a bit.
NFL teams can not release an injured player outright. So in effect should he get injured it would lead to a settlement package instead of outright release. Most settlements are reflective of two years salary pro rated (unless the player gets injured in the final year of his deal).
Some players use that time and money to rehab and return to action, some use it as a nest egg and come to the CFL (Robert Edwards for one).