During the 2012 offseason, the Predators were unable to take Weber to arbitration again (a player can only be subjected to team-elected arbitration once in his career). Weber signed a front-loaded $110 million, 14-year offer sheet, $68 million of it as a signing bonus, with the Philadelphia Flyers on July 19. It was the richest contract in NHL history in terms of total money, money per season, and length, which surpassed the previous offer sheet record set by Thomas Vanek. The Predators, who had already lost Weber's defensive partner Ryan Suter to unrestricted free agency, were able to match the offer sheet five days later.