NEWSLETTER
When Patrick Mahomes signed his $500 million mega-deal last week, I wasn’t sure how many big contracts would immediately follow. After all, there was a belief in some circles that the COVID-19 pandemic was slowing down signings.
Instead, a week later, we have a pair of large contracts signed by defensive standouts worth discussing:
Chiefs are giving franchise DT Chirs Jones a four-year, $85 million deal that includes $60 million in guarantees, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 14, 2020
The #Browns and star pass-rusher Myles Garrett are closing in on a 5-year extension worth $125M, sources say. Another massive deal, this time for $25M in new money per year. Their top priority of this offseason and they are in the final stages. 💰💰💰
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 14, 2020
In their attempt to keep the band together, the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs signed defensive lineman Chris Jones to a four-year contract that could be worth $85 million and includes $60 million in guarantees. Jones, 26, was a Pro Bowler in 2019 and has 33 sacks over the last four years for Kansas City.
Over in Cleveland, the Browns have are nearing a five-year extension for pass-rusher Myles Garrett. The deal, worth $25 million per year, would make Garrett the highest-paid defensive player in the league on an annual average basis. Yes, that means Garrett, 24, would surpass Khalil Mack’s super-sized deal with the Bears that made him the highest-paid player in franchise history.
My takeaway after seeing this news is that it is absolutely incredible that NFL teams are signing these deals right now. It almost makes me wonder what these new deals would look like if we weren’t in the midst of living in a pandemic. Would they be bigger? Maybe. But these are large deals in their own right.
Perhaps there is confidence there won’t be long-term concerns regarding financial fallout tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if that turns out to be the case?
