If you needed any further proof that cash is going to flow like midnight wine during free agency this year, look no further than the haul offensive guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is about to bring home in a five-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Sources: #Chiefs and star G Laurent Duvernay-Tardif are finalizing a 5-year, $41.25M extension. Huge payday for the Canadian doctor-to-be.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 27, 2017
Duvernay-Tardif isn’t an elite guard.
He’s good, but a deal that averages more than $8 million per year for a guard was unheard of not that long ago, even for a top guard. Duvernay-Tardif, a sixth-round draft pick in 2014 out of Canada, has played two seasons for the Chiefs, starting his first game in 2015. He has a total of 27 starts under his belt.
Imagine what a player like Kevin Zeitler of the Cincinnati Bengals can land on the open market.
One of the cool stories in @NFL, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif spends his season playing football, his offseasons studying to be a doctor. Now: 💰💰
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 27, 2017
Hats off to the Canadian doctor-to-be, who started playing football as a hobby. He deserves everything he can get, and we’ll be watching him with interest as he continues to develop with the Chiefs.