Tim Watson's main “concern“ with with Suns' “eye-watering“ Mac Andrew extension

Mac Andrew is set to sign the biggest deal in AFL history, which could keep him locked away on the Gold Coast until the end of the 2034 season.

The breakout key defender, who was already contracted for 2025, has signed a deal worth over $12 million, according to Tom Morris.

Morris explained how the deal came about.

“Eye-watering money, this. He was already contracted for 2025 and then this new deal goes from 2026 to 2030. He then has to play 60 games in that five-year window, about 50 per cent of games, to trigger another four years,” Morris told SEN Breakfast.

“Once he hits the trigger, it automatically rolls over for the next four years. If he doesn’t hit the trigger, he becomes a free agent at the end of 2030. And if he gets to the end of 2034, so 2026 to 2034, it’s above $12 million.

“There were teams ready to pounce if he was ready to leave, but my information is that he was always keen to stay at the Suns. The Dees and Hawks were open to talk.”

Essendon great Tim Watson was asked if Andrew has to become a multi-time All-Australian to live up to the deal, but feels clubs internally will have different markers for success.

“I think internally there’s always a different measurement to what we and fans might think externally,” Watson said.

“Like, Sam Collins won the Suns’ best and fairest, I don’t think anybody outside of the Suns would have him in their top five players.”

Watson however is worried about what that kind of contract can do to the psyche of a 20-year-old footballer.

“My major concern (with the contract) is that he’s not even 21 yet. That is head-spinning money,” he said.

“Like, you’ve got to be satisfied from a club perspective that he’s got the professionalism, the attitude and the diligence. If you’re putting that type of a contract in front of a young player, you’re believing as a club that he is going to develop into a leader and he’s going to drive the club where you want him to be.

“You can never pay too much money for greatness. He’s not there yet. You’re paying on your projection of what he’s going to become and you can often get that part of it wrong,” Watson added.