Patrick Mahomes isn't worried about comparing his contract to others, he's focused on his legacy

Patrick Mahomes is the first quarterback ever to win a couple of Super Bowl rings and MVP awards before the age of 30. Yet he can count six other players in the league with higher salaries.

And if Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert get their expected new contracts with lots of zeroes, Mahomes will fall to ninth. Yet the Kansas Chiefs quarterback shrugs it off. He’s got enough money. He’d rather be the team guy, he says.

“Obviously, I want to do the best for myself as well,” Patrick Mahomes told reporters Wednesday. “But at the same time, I’ve always said I’m more worried about legacy or winning rings than money at this moment. We keep up with what’s going on around the league, but at the same time I’m never going to do anything to hurt us from keeping the great players around me or teetering around that line.”

Who are the players with biggest bank accounts?

Want to know the highest paid players in the NFL? Here they are, but ranked by their annual salary, not by their total contract.

1. Lamar Jackson Ravens $52 million
2. Jalen Hurts Eagles $51 million
3. Aaron Rodgers Jets $50.27 million
4. Russell Wilson Broncos $49 million
5. Kyler Murray Cardinals $46.1 million
6. Deshaun Watson Browns $46 million
7. Patrick Mahomes Chiefs $45 million
8. Josh Allen Bills $43 million
9. Dak Prescott Cowboys, Daniel Jones Giants, Matthew Stafford Rams $40 million

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was asked about his contract and how so many other QBs have passed him:

"I worry about legacy and winning rings more than money at this moment."

"I've made enough money where I'll be set for the rest of my life."

(📽️ @Chiefs)pic.twitter.com/NWhfxcSkWr

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 24, 2023

Patrick Mahomes agreed to his contract in 2020

Patrick Mahomes says he’s all for the other quarterbacks receiving what they deserve, so he’s not that worried about up-and-comers Burrow and Herbert. (Truthfully, Burrow probably does worry Mahomes a little bit. See the past two AFC title games). The Chiefs QB agreed to his 10-year, $450 million deal back in 2020. And that contract made him the highest paid player in the league. For the moment.

“It’s not about being the highest paid guy, it’s not about making a ton of money” says the guy who makes $45 million from the Chiefs plus millions more in marketing/endorsement deals.

“I’ve made enough money where I’ll be set for the rest of my life,” Mahomes said. “At the same time, you’ve got to find that line where you make a good amount of money, but still keeping the good players around you, so you can win these Super Bowls and you’re able to compete in these games.”

No other player in top 10 owns 2 Super Bowl rings

Keeping good players around him is a constant theme.

“Guys getting paid this offseason, they’re trying to find the right spot.” he said. “Everybody wants to get paid a lot of money. They think they’re the best of their craft, they want to get paid like that. At the same time, if you look at the greats in the league, they found that right spot where they’re getting paid a lot of money, but at the same time, they’re keeping a lot of great players around me.”

He added it was important to “make sure we have the best football team on that field and everyone gets what they deserve.”

And Patrick Mahomes seems to be on the same page with Chiefs management. We get the idea this topic keeps coming up. But the 27-year-old sounds like he counts chunks of his money by the Super Bowl victory.

Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt said as much after the draft last month. It’s why he structured Mahomes’ contract the way he did.

“Well, I don’t know that there’s really a way to quantify it financially and no matter what (Mahomes) makes over his career, I’m sure one way or another he’ll be underpaid,” Hunt told reporters. “The great thing about Patrick is, when we did that deal, he recognized that he wanted to give the club the flexibility to build the team around him.”