When Patrick Mahomes signed a groundbreaking 10 year, $450 million contract extension with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020, it was a deal that analysts instantly praised as one that would age tremendously well. Four years later, it predictably has. Mahomes being on what now looks like a team-friendly deal has allowed the Chiefs to keep a championship roster in tact, and put KC in position to seriously contend for a three-peat this season.
Ultimately, contending for a Super Bowl is the name of the game, and it's what drives Patrick Mahomes. So when Green Bay's Jordan Love and Miami's Tua Tagovailoa signed deals worth well over $50 million per year this past week, it was no concern for Mahomes, who instead would prefer to celebrate the success of his peers.
“It’s awesome for the game of football. It's awesome for the quarterback position,” Mahomes told Jarrett Bell of USA Today Sports on Sunday after Chiefs practice had concluded. “I know every time a contract comes up, everybody looks at my APY (average per year) and everything like that. I’m doing pretty well myself. For me, it’s just about going out there trying to win football games, trying to make money for my family at the end of the day. I feel like I’m doing a great job of that.”
$45 million per year isn't exactly chump change, but in terms of APY, Patrick Mahomes doesn't even rank inside the top ten among the highest paid quarterbacks in the NFL. Interestingly, the ten quarterbacks who will make more money than Mahomes this upcoming season — Tagovailoa, Love, Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Jared Goff, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Kyler Murray and Deshaun Watson — have combined to win only one more postseason game (16) than the Chiefs QB has in his career. Mahomes leads in Super Bowls 3-0.
Does Patrick Mahomes believe he is underpaid?
If Patrick Mahomes did believe he was underpaid, it would be difficult to argue against him. He's the face of the National Football League, on track to end up one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the sport, and in just six years as a starter in Kansas City, he's already far and away the greatest player in Chiefs history. But underpaid? Mahomes doesn't think so.
“Not necessarily. I think we do a great job of managing my money, to be able to pay me a lot of money and keep a good team around me. I know we’ve kind of restructured it a couple of times and got the cash flow up in certain spots and certain years. It’s about having a good dialogue, good communication with the front office, with ownership. We’ve done that here. And as we’ve been able to allow me to be a highly-paid guy while at the same time build a great team around me.”
When it comes time for Mahomes and the Chiefs to negotiate his next deal, it wouldn't come as a surprise if he signed a shorter-term deal — at least in comparison to the 10-year extension he signed four years ago — worth more money per year than any other quarterback in the NFL. Such a big deal is made of who the highest paid players in the league are, and Mahomes certainly has the resume to be paid as such.
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