Jamaal Charles only guaranteed $100K in Broncos contract

The Denver Broncos only had to pony up $100K in guaranteed money to bring the promise of Jamaal Charles onto the roster.

KUSA, a Denver area television station, officially broke down details of Jamaal Charles new contract with the Denver Broncos, signed in the days after the 2017 NFL Draft with word that John Elway only had to include $100,000 in guaranteed money in order to get Charles to sign on the dotted line.

The Kansas City Chiefs cut Charles earlier this offseason as his cap hit was going total over $6 million. The Chiefs decided to turn the corner and signed veteran C.J. Spiller and drafted Kareem Hunt. The Broncos swept in after the draft to sign Charles after hosting a free agent visit, knowing full well as a division rival what Charles can bring to the field if he’s healthy.

Charles is still recovering from another surgery on his knee, so there’s an uphill climb for Charles to even make the team, but the deal with Denver is structured in exactly that way. The only guarantee is in the form of a workout bonus for the $100K, which means the Chiefs likely could have enjoyed the same restructured deal with such minimal output for the promise of a healthy Charles.

"Charles will receive a $250,000 bonus if he makes the 53-man roster; $78,125 for each time he dresses on the 46-man roster; and up to $1.25 million in performance incentives, such as reaching 1,000 all-purpose yards and the Broncos making the playoffs."

Charles is the Chiefs all-time leading rusher with 7,260 rushing yards.