What is the total signing bonus proration for the rookie contract example over four years?

To determine the total signing bonus proration for a rookie contract example over four years, it's essential to understand how signing bonuses are typically allocated under the salary cap rules in professional sports.

In most leagues, the signing bonus of a contract is prorated over the length of the contract for salary cap accounting purposes. If we assume the signing bonus in your scenario is $4M, then it would be divided equally over the four years of the contract. This means you would take the total signing bonus of $4M and divide it by 4, which equals $1M per year.

Over the span of four years, the total signing bonus proration amounts to $4M, as it has been fully allocated across each year of the contract. Therefore, the total signing bonus proration for the rookie contract example over the duration of four years is indeed $4M.