Shocking: “Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Defends His Salary, Declares ‘I Don’t Feel Underpaid’ Despite Record Deals and Market Pressures”

1. Although the quarterback market has recently skyrocketed, Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes doesn’t feel he must cash in.
2. 

On Friday, Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa (four years, $212.4M) and Green Bay’s Jordan Love (four years, $220M) signed exorbitant contracts. Love’s deal made him the highest-paid passer in league history.

Mahomes, who signed a 10-year, $450M deal in 2020, is now tied for 11th in the league in average annual salary ($45M), per Spotrac. However, the three-time Super Bowl champion insists he’s not underpaid or envious of other QBs.

“It’s awesome for the quarterback position, but I think all positions,” the two-time MVP 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.”

Mahomes still leads the league in four-year cash flow. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported he’s scheduled to make $215.6M through the 2027 season.

When Mahomes wants a change, he revises his deal instead of asking for a new one. That gives the Chiefs more cap flexibility, which they can use to maintain a stacked roster.

This offseason, K.C. re-signed free agent defensive tackle Chris Jones (five years, $158.75M) and gave tight end Travis Kelce a new contract (two years, $34.25M). Mahomes helped make these signings happen. He restructured his contract in March, creating $21.6M in cap space, via ESPN’s Adam Teicher.

“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,” Mahomes told Bell. “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

Former New England Patriots QB Tom Brady used a similar approach. While playing for New England from 2000-19, he often accepted team-friendly deals and won six of his seven Super Bowls.

Taking a cue from a future Hall of Famer seems like a smart strategy, which could help 28-year-old Mahomes hoist more Lombardi Trophies.