I was driving down the highway last night, about 20 minutes into my trip home down from Kansas City Chiefs training camp and it was about 10:30 p.m. when I got a call from a fellow reporter. "Hey Joel, you're on the highway so you probably didn't hear, did you?" I thought I missed one of the players saying something wacky but, no, I was told that Tamba Hali and the Chiefs had agreed to terms.
Suddenly, my practice report wasn't so important anymore. I rushed home, checked out the details and passed along my initial thoughts. Here's my analysis you can use at the water cooler today of the reported five-year, $60 million deal that includes $35 million guaranteed:
-Good for the Chiefs because they lock up their best defensive player and do it for less money than LB DeMarcus Ware or DE Charles Johnson, two comparable contracts.
-Good for Tamba because it's a lot of guaranteed money that protects him in case anything happens to him and in five years he can hit the open market again at age 32.
It's a win-win for both sides, which seems to be a theme with Chiefs and their player contracts lately. He's expected on the field today, assuming the CBA is signed, sealed and delivered by 3:00 p.m. (Arrowhead Time) today.