While close to $1 million a year for 10 years is a massive commitment,Kelly could likely earn that amount in a shorter period if he were to come home to Melbourne,as the North offer demonstrated. GWS can plan around the Kelly deal,should he accept the terms,providing certainty as they seek to secure their considerable talent.
The salary cap for players could also rise after the next broadcast rights deal,reducing the share of the salary cap that the player is paid,since the amounts each year are fixed.
The AFL approved of both the Kelly and Gaff arrangements,although they still recognise those players as re-contracted for only two-year terms,which are the terms lodged with the league.
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The Kelly deal is a sign of the enormous bargaining power that elite players increasingly command,evident in the seven-year terms that Richmond pair Dustin Martin and Tom Lynch have signed in their free agent seasons. Lynch crossed from Gold Coast on a backloaded contract in which he will be paid $500,000 a season in the first three seasons and then close to $5 million over the final four years.
Kelly's team mate and fellow midfielder Stephen Coniglio is weighing up long-term offers from GWS,Hawthorn and Carlton and is well-placed to secure a very long-term deal worth several million dollars.
If the Kelly deal turns out to be a 10-year term,it would match the 10 years that the then Brisbane Bears handed to Alastair Lynch when they lured the key-position star from Fitzroy for the 1994 season. Lynch played for Brisbane for 11 seasons and was a cornerstone of the Lions'three premierships from 2001 to 2003.
Kelly will turn 34 during 2029,the final year of the eight-year option,which is slightly more than a year younger than Franklin when the Sydney champion reaches the final year of his nine-year contract.