Michael Oher, Of ‘Blind Side’ Fame, Inks ‘Surprise’ $20 Million Deal With Titans

Michael Oher, the Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle whose emotionally uplifting life story was dramatized in the hit 2009 film The Blind Side, is a Baltimore Raven no more. And as a result, he will soon become $20 million richer. That’s the total cash value of the four-year deal that Oher signed Friday with the NFL’s Tennessee Titans.

The contract comes with $9.5 million in guaranteed money, meaning that even if Michael Oher gets injured and never plays another game, he collects that amount from the Titans. But while injury is an ever-present hazard in the NFL, Michael Oher is one of the NFL’s toughest players. In his four-year career, since Baltimore selected him with the 23rd overall pick in the draft, Oher has not missed a single game, making 80 straight starts.

On the other hand, while his durability is remarkable, his performance on the field has not been, according to NFL experts who have been openly skeptical of the $20 million the Titans will pay the 6’4?, 315-pound Oher over the length of his contract.

“Oher’s off-the-field story is more compelling than his play of late,” said former NFL executive Bill Polian. “He has adequate size and ability for the position but consistently underwhelmed as a run blocker this past season while showing to be very average when left alone in protection.”

In addition to being the NFL’s most-frequently penalized player during the four years of his career, Michael Oher was the bottom-ranked offensive tackle in the NFL in 2013 when it came to run blocking and he allowed a team-high eight quarterback sacks and 42 hurries.

“I don’t believe Oher has regressed, he just never progressed,” said ESPN.com Ravens correspondent Jamison Hensley. “He’s basically the same player who entered the league in 2009. Oher is durable and hard-nosed. He’s a throwback type of a player who has that right tackle, mauler mentality. Where he struggles is mental mistakes (false starts have always been a problem) and pass protection.”

Hensley said he was “surprised” that the Titans offered to pay Michael Oher $5 million per season.

Nonetheless, the move back to Tennessee brings the Michael Oher story full circle. As dramatized in The Blind Side, Oher grew up in Memphis and had a extremely difficult youth until a wealthy family adopted him in his teenage years.

Under their guidance, he became a top high school offensive lineman who was a blue chip recruit to Ole Miss — and then a first-round NFL draft pick.

Sandra Bullock won an Academy Award for her performance as the adoptive mother of Michael Oher in The Blind Side. Actor Quinton Aaron played Oher.