There’s something about Jay Ajayi. While that statement may not carry the same punch as the movie from whose title we borrowed it (1998’s There’s Something About Mary), the former Philadelphia Eagles tailback has been on our minds for the past few days.
That’s what happens when a man who spent five years playing the NFL’s most punishing position has the presence of mind to bank on himself and win… literally.
Okay, that’s an unnecessary play on words that doesn’t quite communicate what happened effectively or accurately enough. The following story has absolutely nothing to do with anything the Philadelphia Eagles are doing right now. It doesn’t guarantee wins or losses during the coming campaign. It’s just a doggone cool story.
Former Eagles star Jay Ajayi cashes in to the tune of $5 million insurance policy.
Somewhere, Jay Ajayi has to be high-fiving himself. Long known as being one of the toughest jobs in professional sports, running backs don’t last as long as they used to. There’s a reason for that.
Think of what it might feel like to take a handoff from your starting quarterback and get blasted by defensive linemen and linebackers that make a ton of money because they can run the 40-yard dash in less than five seconds. Oh, and you’re asked to do this 20 to 25 times a game.
The next time you’re asking yourselves why these guys don’t get drafted as high anymore or why teams employee committees, or why Saquon Barkley’s time at the top of the mountain seemed like it lasted for five weeks, that would be the reason.
Guys like Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson are the exception to the rule, not the rule itself. Ajayi, who spent five seasons in the NFL with two different teams, the Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles had to have had that on his mind when he tore his ACL in 2018, in essence ending his season.
How’s this for theatre? According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Ajayi purchased what’s referred to as a loss-of-value insurance policy while entering the final year of his rookie contract. A few years later, thanks to his presence of mind to do so, he’s cashing in to the tune of $5 million.
Most of us have never played in the NFL, so we can’t testify to this personally, but we hear it’s a pretty cool gig, one of those ‘dream come true’ scenarios. Jay Ajayi’s time probably didn’t last as long as he wanted. He only appeared in three more games following his injury, but he did win a Super Bowl ring during his brief NFL stay. Regardless of how he feels about how things ended, 5 million should help him deal with the disappointment.