Jerick McKinnon might not move the needle much league-wide, but he’s been key to the Kansas City Chiefs’ success.
The Kansas City Chiefs haven’t had a set-in-stone RB1 since Kareem Hunt (2017-18), but they’ve found ways to win with two- or even three-man backfields. This season, rookie Isiah Pacheco took over for the injured Clyde Edwards-Helaire as the team’s lead back.
While attention shifted toward Pacheco’s direction, Jerick McKinnon ascended to a crucial check-down weapon for Patrick Mahomes. The hybrid back caught nine touchdown passes in 2022, the most among all running backs. Yes, that’s more than superstar pass-catching backs like Christian McCaffrey (5) and Austin Ekeler (5).
The 30-year-old quietly became one of Mahomes’ favorite options. Operating with Travis Kelce as the team’s No. 1 pass option and JuJu Smith-Schuster as the No. 2, McKinnon caught the third-most passes (56) on the team. League-wide, McKinnon might not be much of a priority, but in KC he’s an RB2 and WR3 utilized in several ways. The market value for running backs is already low, and it’s becoming even more difficult to assess the value for backs who make their living serving as a pass-block option on flat routes.
All told, Kansas City’s silent assassin is underpaid given his production. Let’s take a look at the figures.
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Jerick McKinnon Contract & Salary Details
All dollar figures via Spotrac.
Years: 1
Total value: $1,272,500
Average annual value: $1,272,500
2022 Salary: $1,187,500
Total guaranteed money: N/A
Free agency: 2023
Jerick McKinnon Career Earnings
All dollar figures via Spotrac.
CAREER BASE SALARY EARNINGS THRU 2022: $13,085,000
BONUS & INCENTIVE EARNINGS THRU 2022: $8,897,807
TOTAL CAREER EARNINGS THRU 2022: $22,232,807
Team by Team Total Earnings Breakdown
- Vikings (2014-17): $2,895,307
- 49ers (2018-20): $17,160,000
- Chiefs (2022): $2,177,500
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