Ajayi's contract is up after 2018, and a long-term deal in Philly was no guarantee. For a player whose right knee had already given him issues during his career, a ligament tear in his other knee is less than ideal.
However, according to his business manager Josh Sanchez, Ajayi bought a loss-of-value insurance policy this past year (and the year before) to protect him against exactly what ended up happening.
Ajayi was valued as a significant free agent based on the policy. If the injury takes his market down to a point where he would be a lower-level free agent, he can receive a maximum payout $5 million net -- after taxes.
In other words, if Ajayi's free-agent value goes down, the policy will help make up the difference. Let's say he's valued as being able to earn a four-year, $16-million contract before the injury. But now, he ends up earning just $8 million over four years.
The policy should end up paying him to make up the difference with $5 million tax-free. Similar policies generally can cost as much as $80,000-$100,000. It's not what any player wants. But at the least, Ajayi has prepared for the worst-case scenario.
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