I don't think Humphries will be anywhere near affordable for the C's. Someone is going to give him a big contract well above the regular MLE, and since the C's only have the mini-MLE to work with, I wouldn't waste too much time worrying about whether last year was for real or not.
I don't necessarily agree that Humphries will get significantly more than the full MLE. He shouldn't, anyway. He's what, 27 years old, and has had one semi-decent season, playing a large role on a terrible team? We'll see what type of fiscal restraint the owners show, I guess. Whoever signs him would be wise to limit their offer to the MLE.
I definitely agree, though, that he's out of our price range. 3 years, $9 million isn't going to get it done.