KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The contract year is undefeated.
That was one of late Yahoo Sports Senior NFL Writer Terez Paylor’s favorite pro football aphorisms.
Count Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who is entering his 24th season as an NFL head coach, among those who believe in the power of a contract year to motivate players.
“You normally are going to get their best during those contract years, or at least that’s what I have found,” Reid said.
Players drafted into the NFL receive four-year contracts with little wiggle room for negotiation after the collective bargaining agreement was tweaked in 2011.
Teams also can exercise a fifth-year option on first-round picks, which has to be done after a player’s third NFL season, but for all other players the fourth year is the money year.
That’s the last chance to make an impression on a rookie deal and earn a hefty payday. The second contract often is the largest a player will receive in their career.
In other words, 2022 is a big year for Kansas City’s five remaining draft picks from the 2019 class — second-round wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. (No. 56 overall) and safety Juan Thornhill (No. 63), third-round defensive tackle Khalen Saunders (No. 84), sixth-round cornerback Rashad Fenton (No. 201) and seventh-round guard Nick Allegretti (No. 216).
“Money talks, so they’re all going to try their best to have their best year,” Reid said. “But within the framework of the team, you don’t want someone that’s out there just playing for themselves obviously.”
The total value for Hardman’s four-year rookie deal, which runs through 2022, is roughly $7.80 million with an adjustment for the proven-performance escalator, according to Over the Cap.
But he could be in line for a bump to $10 million per year beginning next season, according to Spotrac, and maybe more with a breakout season.
“I definitely want to have one of my best seasons, for sure, especially in a contract year,” Hardman said. “That’s definitely a thought that goes through your head.”
After joining Hardman in hitting snap-count targets to trigger escalators that were introduced with the 2020 CBA, Thornhill’s rookie deal will wind up being worth approximately $6.28 million, or about $1.6 million per year, and Fenton’s rookie deal will check in at around $4.73 million, or around $1.2 million annually.
It’s harder to project the pay bump for Thornhill, who has yet to regain the form from his rookie season after a torn ACL, and Fenton, who has steadily taken on a more important role each of his first three seasons.
Despite being drafted several rounds before Fenton, Saunders’ rookie deal is only worth $3.98 million, because he’s missed so much time with injury and missed out on the escalators.
Finally, Allegretti’s rookie deal is worth $3.13 million, or $780,000 per year.
All five players need to impress to justify earning a pay increase from the Chiefs after next season.
“I don’t have to talk about it,” Reid said. “They know. These guys are well-educated and they know what’s at stake. We’ve been fortunate that guys have really been in attack mode when they get in those situations.”
