Why Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and the Chiefs are a perfect marriage
By Britt Zank
The Kansas City Chiefs inked a surprising extension this week with the reported five-year deal reached with guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.
The Kansas City Chiefs signed a player to a new long term deal on Monday afternoon. Sorry Chiefs fans; I do not mean Eric Berry (at least not yet). The player signed was starting guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.
This signing of Tardif to a long term deal was surprising to everyone. He still has one year left on his current contract and his cap number this year was low. With major free agents like Dontari Poe and Berry still unsigned, Tardif’s name was not on anyone’s list of players needing a new contract extension.
The deal’s done, however, and it’s a big one for the Canadian doctor-to-be. The news broke late Monday afternoon by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport. He reported the deal as a five year $41.25 million extension. It was later reported that the guarantee money is $20 million. To put it in perspective, this now makes Tardif the fourth highest-paid guard in the league.
If reaction on social media is any sign by the fans of this move, it’s a mixed bag. At this point, many fans might not care about any deal unless it involves Berry. I’m here to tell fans that this is a good deal and a big move by the Chiefs — not because they like having a medical student on the roster, but because of what it says for the Chiefs outlook for the near future.