Patrick Mahomes says he doesn’t feel any pressure from the Kansas City Chiefs to “show me the money” amid a flurry of new quarterback mega-deals around the NFL.
Tua Tagovailoa parroted the famous movie line after signing a new four-year, $212.4 million contract extension with the Miami Dolphins. Just hours after signing, Jordan Love signed a four-year, $220 million contract with the Green Bay Packers.
Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl MVP, signed a 10-year, $450 million deal in 2020. That deal was restructured last season, and the 28-year-old will make $216 million through 2026 (an average of $52.6 million per season), after which the deal will be re-evaluated.
Rather than complain about the ever-increasing financial bar for the position, Mahomes applauded what’s happening across the league.
“It’s really good for soccer games.” Mahomes told USA Today Sports: On Sunday. “It’s great at quarterback, but I think it’s great at every position.
“I know that every time I close a deal, everyone looks at my APY. [average per year] And all that stuff. I’m doing pretty well for myself. For me, it’s just trying to win football games, and at the end of the day, trying to make money for my family. I feel like I’m doing pretty well with that.”
Mahomes, a two-time league MVP and six-time Pro Bowl selection, threw for 28,424 yards and 231 touchdowns in seven NFL seasons and ranked 11th among quarterbacks in average salary, but this restructuring puts him more in line with recently announced mega-deals.
So there’s absolutely no opinion in Mahomes’ camp that he’s underpaid.
“We feel like we can manage our money well, pay me a lot of money, and keep a good team around me,” Mahomes told USA Today Sports. “We’ve restructured a couple times, and we’ve increased cash flow at certain points and certain years. It’s about having a good conversation and good communication with the front office and the ownership. We’ve done that here. And I’ve been able to be a high-salaried guy and have a good team around me.
“… that planning, constant communication is key. And here we are. I’m happy to see the players go out there and make as much money as they can. That’s a great thing for the sport. But here we have a great communication system that makes us feel like we’re doing the best we can.”
