According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, former Eagles’ running back Jay Ajayi has finally received a settlement for his $5M loss-of-value insurance policy after suffering a torn ACL four years ago.
After years of discussions and fighting, former NFL RB Jay Ajayi received a settlement for his $5M loss-of-value insurance policy, his business manager Joshua Sanchez confirmed. Ajayi played just 3 more games after tearing his ACL in 2018. Finally, he got the payoff for it.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 31, 2022
It’s been a long and hard-fought road for Ajayi up to this point. A fifth-round pick in 2015, he bursted out onto the scene in 2016 with the Miami Dolphins, rushing for 1,272 yards (1,423 yards from scrimmage) and eight touchdowns. That performance earned him a Pro-Bowl appearance.
Needing to re-tool, the Dolphins then traded him to the Eagles for a 2018 fourth-round pick in October of the 2017 season. While initially held back due to his unfamiliarity with the offensive system, Ajayi eventually proved to be a crucial cog in the eventual Super Bowl run alongside veteran RB Legarrette Blount.
That year, Ajayi would rush for 873 yards (403 with Philadelphia, averaging 5.8 yards per carry) with just a single touchdown. He also put up 158 receiving yards (a career-high) and a receiving touchdown on 24 receptions.
Against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII, Ajayi would rack up 57 rushing yards on nine attempts, finishing with 254 total yardage throughout the postseason.
While Ajayi had his moments in his first half-season in Philly — with his 71-yard run against the Dallas Cowboys taking the cake — he didn’t exactly show superstar capabilities on the regular. Still, his performances were good enough for the Eagles to roll with him as the RB1 into the 2018 season while allowing Blount to depart in free agency.
After His ACL Tear, Ajayi Could Never Find His Footing
Ajayi’s start looked promising enough: in his first four games, the back had 184 rushing yards on 45 carries with three touchdowns, two coming in one game. Sadly, Ajayi’s career would never be the same after suffering the torn ACL against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4, ending his campaign.
At that time, Rapoport reported Ajayi had purchased the policy a year before the injury. It’s unknown how much of the $5 million policy he has now received from the settlement. One could assume it’s of a higher amount since his injury took him down to being a lower-level free agent in the 2019 offseason.
Rapoport noted Ajayi was valued as a “significant free agent” based on the policy. Certainly, Ajayi’s knee injury prevented him from making considerably more than than $3,931,870 he earned over his five-year stint.
While Ajayi rehabbed and re-signed with the Eagles on a one-year, $805,000 deal for 2019, it was clear his skill and potential was lost. He would play in just three more games, rushing for 30 yards on 10 attempts before being released.
Ajayi, now 28, retired in January and finished his career with 2,546 rushing yards, 14 touchdowns, and 419 receiving yards.
He was honored as a captain by the Eagles in their 2021 regular-season finale against the Cowboys. While Ajayi’s time here was short and muddled with ill fortuned injuries, it’s clear he’ll be forever remembered as helping to bring home Philadelphia’s first Lombardi.
