Getty Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on January 30, 2022.
In 2020, the Kansas City Chiefs made quarterback Patrick Mahomes the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history, signing him to a 10-year, $450 million extension that earns him $140 million in guarantees. Fast forward to 2022, however, and Mahomes is now only the fifth-highest paid quarterback in the league.
Within the last year, Deshaun Watson ($230 million guaranteed), Kyler Murray ($160 million guaranteed), Aaron Rodgers ($150.8 million guaranteed), and Josh Allen ($150 million guaranteed) have fetched themselves contracts that give them more guaranteed money than Mahomes. The Chiefs’ star quarterback is also fourth among those players now when it comes to the average annual value of his contract ($45 million), according to Spotrac.
So now that Mahomes is no longer the highest-paid quarterback despite being arguably the best player at his position, how does he feel about it? He addressed that while reporting to training camp.
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Mahomes: ‘It Won’t Matter at the End of the Day’
“When I signed my deal, I knew I was going to be set for life regardless of how the market [went],” Mahomes told the media on Friday, July 22 when quarterbacks, rookies, and select players reported to Chiefs training camp. “You just keep playing. Money is one thing but when you get those Super Bowl rings at the end of your career, I think that’s going to be the thing that you look back on. I think I’ve made enough money on the football field and off of it as well that it won’t matter at the end of the day.
“Especially at the quarterback position, the next guy is the highest-paid guy. Any of these top-tier quarterbacks, they make such a difference on NFL football teams that [older contracts are] going to get passed up.”
Mahomes is also anticipating that his rank among the highest-paid quarterbacks will continue to drop. But he’s fine with that because he wants to help build a well-rounded team around him.
“They’ll keep setting the bar even higher,” he said. “You always want to get paid and take care of your family, but I want a great team around me as well.”
This falls right in line with what Mahomes has said in the past. Although he does appreciate the respect Kansas City has given him with his 10-year deal, he’s not the type of person that will be banging the table to get a new contract so his name can be at the top of the list again among the highest-paid NFL quarterbacks.
For Mahomes, there’s only one thing he’s concerned about: winning more championships.
Twitter Reacts to Mahomes’ Comments
Twitter users reacted to Mahomes’ comments.
“Patrick could have been the first 200 million QB but he put winning first and is STILL going to see half a BILLION,” one Twitter user wrote.
@ProFootballTalk Patrick could have been the first 200 million QB but he put winning first and is STILL going to see half a BILLION.
“Patrick truly loves the game. From day one, he injected a vibe only felt in college ball. He has a lot of fun out there, and it shows (on the scoreboard). Sure he got quite the contract, but he loves the game more,” another fan wrote.
@ProFootballTalk Patrick truly loves the game. From day one, he injected a vibe only felt in college ball. He has a lot of fun out there, and it shows (on the scoreboard). Sure he got quite the contract, but he loves the game more.
“Owning a piece of the Royals and Sporting, and bringing Whataburger to the KC area. Yeah, he’s good,” another fan wrote.
@ProFootballTalk Owning a piece of the Royals and Sporting, and bringing Whataburger to the KC area. Yeah, he’s good.