Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes Says He Doesn't Feel Underpaid After Tua, Love Contracts
July 29, 2024
Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes isn't thinking twice about his $450 million contract as more and more quarterbacks surpass his annual earnings.
"It's awesome for the quarterback position, but I think all positions," he told USA Today's Jarrett Bell. "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."
From the moment his extension with the Chiefs was signed, many pointed out how it was only a matter of time before Mahomes became underpaid relative to the market. That moment has arrived, if it wasn't here already.
On the heels of the Green Bay Packers' Jordan Love and Miami Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa getting long-term contracts, Mahomes is tied for 11th in average salary at his position. The $10 million gulf between him and Love is particularly glaring since Love only has one full season as a starter under his belt.
Mahomes disagreed with the general narrative about his contract, responding "not necessarily" to Bell when asked directly whether he's underpaid.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio pointed out Sunday how the six-time Pro Bowler is a reminder there's more than meets the eye with player earnings. In terms of average salary, he's well down the list of quarterbacks, but his "four-year cash flow" during the 2023-26 ($210.6 million) and 2024-27 ($215.6 million) windows leads the way.
Mahomes also knows full well he can pretty much request a new contract whenever he wants and obtain a new salary that better reflects where he stands.
"We do a great job," he said of the working relationship between his agents and Kansas City's front office. "When I restructured, kind of moving money around the last time, we talked about a certain year when we were going to go back and do it again."
Plenty of Mahomes' peers might be eagerly awaiting the day it happens. Should he start making $60 million and perhaps even $70 million a year, every other quarterback around the league will be able to raise his asking price a little bit.
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