Despite their star wide receiver potentially facing a lengthy ban from the NFL just weeks ago, the Kansas City Chiefs are investing heavily in Tyreek Hill, rewarding the wideout with a contract extension, the team announced on Friday.

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, it's a three-year deal worth $54 million. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports the deal contains $35 million in guarantees.

Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star reports that the deal includes "protections on both sides" for Hill and the Chiefs. Hill was set to be one of the lowest-paid receivers, at least of the top end guys, in all of football this year. Now he'll be one of the top two or three highest paid receivers in average annual salary, at least in terms of new money. His guaranteed cash is top 10, impressive considering how short his deal is. 

We knew this was coming, as La Canfora reported it was on the horizon Thursday leading up to the NFL's kickoff. And the details of the deal will be fascinating.

Hill fell in the draft because of off-field issues -- he pled guilty in 2015 to charges of domestic assault and battery in an incident that involved his then-fiancee Crystal Espinal. 

He emerged as a big-time playmaker for the Chiefs quickly in his career, earning All-Pro nods as a returner and a receiver as well as the nickname "Cheetah" because of his speed on the field.

But Hill's off-field incidents did not end once he arrived in Kansas City. Hill was very recently facing a suspension from the league as a result of potential criminal charges against him and Espinal over the treatment of their child. Disturbing audio was leaked to the public featuring Hill saying Espinal should be scared of him; there were questions about whether or not he admitted to physically abusing his son in the audio.

Those criminal charges and the case were dropped, but the district attorney in the case said he believed there was criminal behavior in the matter, they simply couldn't determine who was guilty. 

All of that comes into play as the Chiefs give Hill a pile of money. On the field he's a pristine prospect, one of the most dangerous offensive weapons and a perfect fit with Andy Reid's scheme and Patrick Mahomes' arm.

Off the field? It was a stunner that Hill dodged punishment from the NFL. The league has repeatedly shown an inconsistency with meting out punishment for players involved in cases like these. It's well within the NFL's scope to punish Hill even if no charges are filed or no guilt is determined. But Roger Goodell and the league passed.

As a result, the Chiefs have the runway to reward Hill with a new contract as he enters the final year of his deal, making just over $2 million on his rookie contract. There was no way the Chiefs would let him walk and it's almost certainly a benefit to Hill to make this money now and put guarantees in his pocket while he's clear and free of any charges. 

It would also be stunning if the Chiefs didn't have some serious language in place to protect themselves in the future should something else happen with Hill. 

For now they're willing to roll the dice on a player who can flip the field despite what the risk he brings off it.