Patrick Mahomes doesn’t feel underpaid despite recent massive QB contracts

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has perfect timing in almost all aspects of his life. Except one. He didn’t sign a contract in today’s super-hot NFL market.

That’s why Mahomes, with three Super Bowl championships and a trio of NFL MVP trophies, ranks only 11th in the league when it comes to money. In fact, he’s tied with Kirk Cousins for 11th in the NFL. The top three are Jordan Love, Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence. Burrow has an AFC crown to his credit. Love led the Packers to an upset of the Cowboys for his one playoff victory. And Lawrence and the Jaguars won a playoff game in 2022, then lost to Mahomes’ Chiefs the next weekend.

But Mahomes is playing league statesman, at least in interviews when reporters ask him about the money.

“It’s awesome for the game of football,” Mahomes told USA TODAY Sports, days after Love signed his deal.

“It’s awesome for the quarterback position,” says the Chiefs quarterback. “But I think all positions. 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.”

Now, don’t think Mahomes is poor by any stretch. He’s doing just fine for wife Brittany, their two kids and one on the way. Back in 2020, the Chiefs signed Mahomes to a 10-year, $450 million contract.

Shocker: Don’t look for Chiefs quarterback on this top 10

Here’s the top 10 highest-paid players, all quarterbacks, in the NFL as of Tuesday morning.

Joe Burrow (Bengals): $55 million
Jordan Love (Packers): $55 million
Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars): $55 million
Tua Tagovailoa: (Dolphins): $53.1 million
Jared Goff (Lions): $53 million
Justin Herbert (Chargers): $52.5 million
Lamar Jackson (Ravens): $52 million
Jalen Hurts (Eagles): $51 million
Kyler Murray (Cardinals): $46.1 million
Deshaun Watson (Browns): $46 million

The list likely will morph again if the Cowboys, as expected, extend Dak Prescott. He’s headed into the final year on his contract.

Although Mahomes ranks only 11th on the list of highest-paid players, he doesn’t view it as an issue. That’s mostly because his contract is worded to give him a lot of cash flow. Pro Football Talk, quoting sources, said Mahomes’ deal will provide him $215.6 million from now through 2027. That tops the NFL. Burrow is second at $213.9 million. Goff ranks third at $193.6 million. You can find the other figures here.

When it comes to money, Mahomes often mentions that he takes less so that the Chiefs can use more money to build out the roster around him. The Chiefs are going for their third straight Super Bowl this year, so there’s something to what Mahomes says.

“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 said. “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.”