Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley has said that LB Derrick Johnson is having a very good season. Now he's putting his money where his mouth is (in a good way).
Adam Caplan of FOXSports.com reports DJ and the Chiefs "agreed to terms" on a five-year extension. Per Caplan. the total value of the deal is $34 million while $15 million of that is guaranteed.
It was reported last week that DJ and the Chiefs were nearing a deal.
The premier linebackers, like San Francisco 49ers LB Patrick Willis, command about $10 million per year so I think this is a solid deal for both DJ and the Chiefs. DJ gets rewarded and the Chiefs keep him on board at a manageable price over the next five years as he enters his prime.
The Chiefs also extended LB Andy Studebaker's contract earlier this year so they're clearly working on wrapping up the guys that are important to them. This contract says to the rest of the team that DJ is doing something right and I think that's something the Chiefs front office is aware of.
DJ entered the season on a one-year contract as a restricted free agent. He was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after the season.