The Kansas City Chiefs have reportedly locked up the centerpiece of their offensive line, agreeing to a multi-year contract extension with center Creed Humphrey.
The contract, first reported by Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, will make Humphrey the highest-paid center in all of football. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network confirmed that the deal's terms have been agreed upon.
It's a four-year pact for Humphrey and the Chiefs, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, which totals $72 million. The deal includes $50M guaranteed.
Humphrey, 25, is a two-time Super Bowl champion, two-time Pro Bowler and was a second-team AP All-Pro in 2022. Humphrey has started every game the Chiefs have played in his three seasons with the team and, following the retirement of Jason Kelce, Humphrey is often discussed as the best center in football. Now, he'll be paid like it.
Humphrey is the first of general manager Brett Veach's draft picks to sign a contract extension before the end of his rookie contract. Defensive end Mike Danna was the first Veach draftee to sign a multi-year deal to stay with KC after the end of his rookie deal.
The Chiefs have now made their first of several difficult financial decisions stemming from their 2021 draft class. Linebacker Nick Bolton and guard Trey Smith are also entering the final year of their rookie contracts, but starting with Humphrey always made the most sense. Even with a hefty price tag, the NFL's center market has been more team-friendly than the guard market in recent years, giving Humphrey a chance to be paid less while being the best player of KC's '21 draftees.
BREAKING: The #Chiefs and All-Pro center Creed Humphrey are close to finalizing a contract extension that will make him the highest paid center in the NFL, per multiple sources.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 23, 2024
A former second-round pick, Humphrey has anchored Kansas City’s offensive line in each of their last… pic.twitter.com/XkBWq8uyBJ
This also provides consistency for quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He's had one man snapping him the football and collaborating to direct the offensive line pre-snap for the last three seasons. Now, with absolutely no reason to break up that duo, the Chiefs retain the best quarterback-center pairing in football.
