That's a lot of money for a backup

Holy crap.

Matt Schaub, who spent the first three years of his NFL career as a backup to Mike Vick in Atlanta, just signed a six-year, $48,000,000 deal with the Houston Texans, according to ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli, who did use quotes this time.

Schaub was acquired by the Texans in a trade with the Falcons, who received some draft picks. Thus spake Pasquathustra:

As for the Falcons, the trade allows the cap-strapped team to essentially recoup the $2.3 million qualifying offer it made to Schaub and invest that money elsewhere. And the haul the team received in the trade -- a swap of first-round choices in 2007 and second-round picks in the 2007 and 2008 drafts -- provides Atlanta with considerable flexibility.

So, in other words, good move for Atlanta, a team already set at the quarterback position. They picked up some good draft choices for a backup who didn't play much anyway. What's even better is that, by giving the Texans Schaub as a new starting quarterback, the Falcons nearly guaranteed themselves that the 2008 pick they receive will be near the top of the second round.

This is one of the most unbelieveable contracts in the history of Hole Punch Sports, and that's saying something. Schaub, according to the article, will earn $20 million over the next three years before an absurd bonus of $10 million is due, which he will obviously never get. Wait, that's not the whole story. To be fair, I think Mr. Pasquarelli did a fine job on this article:

After the first three years, the Texans must pay Schaub a $10 million option bonus in March 2010 to trigger the final three seasons of the contract, or he becomes a free agent. This is the same Houston team, though, that paid the soon-to-be-discarded David Carr a "buy back" bonus of $8 million last spring to reinstate three years of his contract that had voided.

How about that? So, about this Schaub guy. He's gotten some coverage over the years because he's been Vick's backup, and people assume he couldn't be worse in the pocket than that athletic lefty. Well, Schaub's a career 52.2-percent passer, and he's got a career quarterback rating just under 70. Both of those numbers are actually worse than Vick's. Not much worse, mind you, but still worse.

David Carr, while he hasn't lived up to No. 1 pick expectations, is better than Schaub. His stats aren't superb-he's a 60-percent guy, with a rating of 75.5-but he's never backed down from the vicious and relentless poundings he's endured over the years. At least he's shown guts, while Schaub has shown nothing, so far.

This contract, though, clearly means Carr is out and Schaub is in as the starter. Who knows? Schaub could turn into an All-Pro in Houston, and this could become the best move the Texans ever made. But couldn't the Texans wait for him to prove that potential, at least a little bit, before they hand him $48 million?

Anyone care to explain this?