Chapter 991: No. 1 in history
In the 2018 season, the league gave birth to the No. 1 quarterback in annual salary and the No. 1 running back in annual salary.
Rogers, Green Bay Packers quarterback, four years, $134 million, annual salary of $33.5 million, including $103 million in guaranteed money.
All data hit record highs.
Gurley, Los Angeles Rams running back, has a four-year, $60 million contract with an annual salary of $15 million, of which $44 million is guaranteed.
This also creates a record high in the history of running back contracts.
It is worth mentioning that the quarterback contract market is always in a hot state, with the upper limit being refreshed every year or every two years at a rapid pace; while the running back contract is completely different, until the 2024 offseason. McCaffrey completed his contract extension with the San Francisco 49ers, finally setting a new record.
However, not anymore -
Two hundred million dollars over ten years, what does this contract really mean?
First, ten years.
Running backs are consumables. This trend is becoming more and more intense in the league. Teams tend to sign short-term contracts, one for two years or even one year.
Gurley's four-year contract is considered long-term, and Bell's contract with the New York Jets this offseason is also four years and $52.5 million.
And now, the Kansas Chiefs signed a ten-year contract with Levi in one go.
Confidence is evident.
Not only trusts Levi, but also shows Levi’s importance to the team, telling other competitors with a ten-year contract:
Speculators, get lost.
Los Angeles Rams: Offended, thank you.
Whether it is last year’s New York Giants or this year’s Los Angeles Rams, it is obvious that there are many teams that have been eyeing Levi’s side, and one or two of them are waiting for Levi’s rookie contract to expire. , waiting for an opportunity to act, as long as the contract renewal negotiations between the Kansas City Chiefs and Levi do not go smoothly, they will be ready to quickly attack and pull out the tiger's teeth.
However, Vicky took the initiative and silenced all competitors with a thunderous gesture.
Second, two hundred million US dollars.
With an annual salary of US$20 million, there is no doubt that this is a historic breakthrough.
Although the league's hard salary cap has been rising, the annual salary increases for positions such as running backs, quarterbacks, wide receivers, and forward players have been increasing. Running backs, linebackers, and safeties have also been increasing. The annual salary has been staying at the same level, and may even decline slightly.
Bell spent two seasons, but in the end he still failed to break the ceiling. Gurley's annual salary of US$15 million is still the ceiling for running backs in the league.
In fact, let alone surpassing Gurley, there are only a handful of running backs with an annual salary of more than 10 million US dollars, and teams are focusing on young people——
Henry. Eliot. Buckley. McCaffrey.
Including Levi.
The current top running backs in the league are mainly young people on rookie contracts, high-quality and cheap workers, and disposable tools.
Until now.
The Kansas City Chiefs teamed up with Levi to write history, raising the running back's annual salary ceiling to $20 million in one fell swoop, upending the entire situation.
The shock level is beyond imagination.
It exceeds Rodgers' historic high-paying contract last season, and also exceeds Cousins' unprecedented first fully guaranteed contract in the league.
The big news can be predicted early.
Third, the guarantee is US$100 million.
In other words, as long as Levi signs, no matter what happens in the future, even if he does not play a game, the US$100 million is certain.
This guaranteed money is second only to the $103 million guaranteed money in Rodgers' contract last season, ranking second in league history.
This is the real big deal.
For running backs, injuries and the instability caused by age are undoubtedly the biggest obstacles. Except for the incredible Sanders, almost all running backs must face this problem in their careers. . Because of this, running back contracts, regardless of annual salary and length of time, are often filled with a bunch of performance clauses, such as the number of appearances in a season, the number of times the ball is held or the number of yards advanced, and the status of injuries and absences. The team tries its best to pass Additional terms limit the contract.
As you can imagine, there is not much left in the guarantee money.
Gurley's contract has a guarantee of US$45 million, which is rare.
It was precisely because of Gurley's contract that Bell and the Pittsburgh Steelers fought over millions of dollars in guaranteed money and finally broke down, which led to a subsequent training strike and even a game strike.
And now, the guarantee of Levi's contract has actually reached 100 million US dollars——
Breaking news, absolutely huge.
I am afraid that this is a historical record that has never been recorded before or since.
Perhaps, compared with quarterbacks, Levi's annual salary is really not high, or even inferior to other positions. The dilemma of running backs is still clearly visible; however, the Kansas Chiefs still show sincerity within their capabilities. This guarantee is enough to make the entire league stunned.
One step after another, the Kansas City Chiefs used their own way to retain Levi.
As Veach said, this is also the leader who retains the team for the next ten years.
All in all!
So, is the Kansas Chief crazy?
Vicci doesn’t think so.
Two consecutive seasons of phenomenal performance, double Super Bowl MVPs in the regular season, two Super Bowl championship trophies, etc. These visible things are secondary. What they really see is Levi’s leadership. temperament.
Whether it is the courage to lead the team to consecutive comebacks in the playoffs last season, or the charm of stimulating the team's potential to continue to move forward during difficult times this season.
Whether it is the cohesion and appeal displayed inside and outside the locker room, or the personal temperament that is comparable to the Dinghai Shenzhen at critical moments on the field.
Levi has proven himself more than once that he is the soul of this team.
What's more, Levi's market appeal is also a money-attracting tool for the Kansas City Chiefs, and they have no reason to miss it.
Regarding this contract, there are still some differences within the team’s senior management——
After all, this is a running back.
However, Reid's firmness and Hunter's trust finally led to the contract.
Veach knows they are making history, and he believes they are on the right side of history, just like the 2017 draft.
Veach believes that the future of the Kansas City Chiefs lies on the shoulders of the young people in front of them.
Levi:……
Levi had to admit, he was scared.
Although he and Donald had been talking and had a clear understanding of the contract negotiation process; but when he actually heard about the contract from the Kansas Chiefs, a strong sense of unreality hit him.
Different from brand endorsements, a contract from a team is a kind of trust, a kind of respect and a kind of recognition, which is heavy on the chest.
Two hundred million dollars, what does this mean?
Raising his head, Levi looked at Vicky, the smile on his lips rising slightly.
"It seems that you are expecting me to squeeze out the last bit of my strength on the court."
A small joke, unusual.
Vicci also smiled and said, "Why, in the past two seasons, you haven't given your best, haven't you? Oh, it seems we have made a profit."
Levi shrugged lightly, He turned his palms to the sky and made a lifting motion, "The pressure is a little bit big, but for the sake of the check, I will try my best."
(End of this chapter)