A lot changed for former NFL running back Jay Ajayi in a short amount of time.
In his second season in the NFL, he was named to the Pro Bowl following a 1,272-yard season with the Miami Dolphins. In his fourth season, he helped the Philadelphia Eagles win Super Bowl LII. In his fourth season, which also happened to be the final year of his rookie contract, he blew out his ACL. And in his fifth season, he was released and never played in the NFL again.
Ajayi made $3.9 million over the course of his NFL career, though he clearly could have made a lot more had he stayed healthy. Thankfully, he had a loss-of-value insurance policy for this very situation. However, the former running back has had a pretty hard time getting the insurance company to pay out the $5 million policy
Three years later, it appears that drama is over as Ajayi’s business manager, Joshua Sanchez, told Ian Rapoport that “after years of discussions and fighting,” a settlement of Ajayi’s $5 million policy has been reached.
Given that the two sides reached a “settlement,” it’s likely he didn’t get the full $5 million policy, though considering he had that catastrophic injury in the final year of his rookie contract, you would imagine that would go a long way towards making his case. It was pretty unlikely he would get the kind of money he could have otherwise received without the injury.
Ajayi has since transitioned into a career in esports, becoming the Philadelphia Union’s esports player in eMLS League Series One in 2020.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.