When Pardew signed that contract in September,we believed it meant what it "said on the tin" - EIGHT YEARS.
But there's small print, as you would expect from money-grabbing Toon owner Mike Ashley.
It is a "rolling contract" spanning year to year - 12 months to 12 months.
So when the day comes when Ashley gives Pardew the boot, he will only have to pay him up to September.
Even then he knew the document he signed would not keep him in a job if the supporters turned against him and he said as much publicly.
They had begun to turn weeks ago, losing faith in their droves after the 3-0 home defeat by Sunderland, but this was worse. This was shambolic.
There have been no "Pardew Out" chants, no protests, but there is anger.
Newcastle fans do not turn against their team lightly and Pardew is being blamed for what has happened.
The thought of relegation is catastrophic and a proposition we fear.
However, it was not the size of this defeat, the fact it was their heaviest at home since 1925 or the fact it was the 18th of a hugely deflating league campaign that appears to condemn Pardew, it was the manner in which a team full of internationals effectively gave up on a football pitch. That is unforgivable.