Kansas City Chiefs: New Deal Reported For Laurent Duvernay-Tardif

Ian Rapoport is reporting that the Kansas City Chiefs are finalizing a deal for guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif that will keep him in KC for five years.

The Kansas City Chiefs have essentially locked up their starting offensive line for the next few years. The Chiefs are reportedly signing guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to a five year extension worth over $41 million. The move will give the Chiefs a group of five linemen who are under contract through the 2018 season.

The deal for LDT definitely comes as a surprise to many. The Chiefs starting right guard still has a year left on his contract, and had a very low salary cap number for this season. On top of that, Tardif is finishing medical school this offseason, so his general future in the NFL was definitely not a sure thing. That obviously changes now that he has a new five-year deal.

On the field, Tardif has garnered praise from many analysts on Twitter as one of the most underrated players in the NFL. The Canadian player from McGill University has come a long way in a short period of time. That certainly has to be the basis for the Chiefs making this deal as they clearly feel he has a very high ceiling.

LDT has had some struggles and inconsistencies on the field, but the progress has been clear. If he is truly dedicated to a career in the NFL, as this new deal would imply, then I do have a lot of confidence that he will continue to develop as a player.

Next: Kansas City Chiefs: Replacing Dontari Poe

The Kansas City Chiefs are continuing their trend of getting young players under contract as quickly as possible. The Chiefs did this same thing with Eric Fisher after last season. It shows a desire to invest in the development of their own players, which is generally a good thing. Above all else though, this should bring continuity to the offensive line which is very important in the NFL.