AFL Rich 100: The details in Izak Rankine’s contract and why the Crows can add more top talent

Much was made of Izak Rankine’s contract details last season. But nine months later one thing is clear. It’s a bargain that will allow the Crows to make more moves.

Whatever he is being paid, it’s a bargain.

In an off-season of scrutiny and speculation over Izak Rankine’s exact dollar value, the claims and counterclaims never stopped.

Was Adelaide paying Rankine an outrageous $800,000-plus per season on a deal that he could never hope to live up to?

Or were they dragging him out of Gold Coast for the cheap-as-chips $600,000 a season despite all the wild estimates?

The truth is understood to be in the middle, and with an asterisk that will end up making Rankine something of a bargain for the Crows.

The AFL Rich 100 understands Rankine is paid around $700,000-$750,000 across the life of his contract depending upon performance-based clauses.

And the kick in the tail for Adelaide is that the contract does not have a significant uptick should the AFL’s collective bargaining agreement sky rocket in coming years.

It is guaranteed money for Rankine — and it is excellent cash for any 23-year-old — but if the CBA goes up 20 per cent in the next four years his contract remains largely unchanged.

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Izak Rankine’s deal is looming as a huge win for the Crows. Picture: Getty Images

Under most list structures there are a mix of contracts. Some are guaranteed and on set money and will not increase regardless of any future CBA rise and then there are those which rise in line with the CBA’s growth.

That could be as much as 20 per cent over the next four years.

Mystery still remains about the exact length of Rankine’s deal — the initial component is believed to be as few as three years — but it is understood to have a trigger clause to keep him at the club long-term.

So whatever Rankine is paid, the human highlights reel is worth it after his explosive start to his career at Adelaide.

And beyond that, the club’s Rich 100 attendees show why Adelaide still has plenty of cap space to retain emerging stars and chase big fish.

Rory Laird is mid-way through a five-year contract that earns him about $800,000 a season, while Rory Sloane’s deal puts him on around $650,000 in its final year.

Captain Jordan Dawson is understood to earn around $700,000 but is already showing as a bona fide midfielder that is a value contract after he was dragged out of Sydney.

Jordan Dawson’s has been worth every dollar for the Crows. Picture: Getty Images

Taylor Walker is on around $600,000 — and backing up that figure — as manager Michael Doughty works on a new one-year extension for 2024.

Darcy Fogarty signed a new lucrative deal worth over $600,000 a season in late November 2022, but it only kicks in for the 2024 season.

The club has just extended livewire forward Josh Rachele well past a deal only signed last year to the end of 2025 as it locks in its stars on long, long-term deals.

The club’s spate of signings have seen it sign up Jake Soligo until 2029 and Chayce Jones until 2026, with Adelaide still confident it can retain free agent Tom Doedee despite rival interest.

Mason Redman is a person of interest, although Adelaide is adamant it won’t be stumping up $750,000 a season for the running half back.

Right now Adelaide is quickly locking away its emerging stars, has not overpaid for Dawson or Rankine, has its elite core on healthy but not irresponsible contracts.

The dog days of the long, tough rebuild are over and the Adelaide list is filled with talent with more cap space to bring in the players who might round out the premiership build.

Originally published as AFL Rich 100: The details in Izak Rankine’s contract and why the Crows can add more top talent