Chiefs lock up Canadian lineman for $41.25M
Most medical school students nearing graduation have long since given up sideline jobs, but you’ll pardon Laurent DuvernayTardif if he hangs on to his.
On Tuesday, the Kansas City Chiefs confirmed that the native of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., has signed a new contract reportedly worth US$41.25 million over the next five years, with US$20 million guaranteed.
“That’s a big vote of confidence from the Chiefs,” the six-footfive, 320-pound offensive guard said in a phone interview. “I love the organization, and I’m just glad that they see some potential in me and want to keep me on the team in the next couple of years.
“Getting the actual contract means more to me than the actual money.”
It’s uncommon enough for an NFL player to receive such a big-money extension before the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, but especially rare when that rookie didn’t play a down in his rookie season. Duvernay-Tardif had all the physical tools coming out of Montreal’s McGill University in early 2014. But he was raw skillswise, having barely practised his senior year to attend pre-med classes.
The Chiefs drafted him in the sixth round but, in converting him from a tackle to a guard, didn’t play him a down in 2014. Duvernay-Tardif then started 13 of 16 games in 2015, and 14 this past season. The 26-yearold becomes the highest-paid Canadian offensive-side football player ever, eclipsing the contract Torontonian and Los Angeles Chargers left guard Orlando Franklin signed in 2015 (US$35.5 million over five years, with US$15.5 million guaranteed).