Kansas City’s Chiefs won the Super Bowl last season and their quarterback Patrick Mahomes won the game’s most valuable player award.
Now, it appears the 24-year-old Mahomes has won the lottery also.
Everyone with an interest in sports knows by now that Mahomes has signed a record 10-year $503 million contract extension with Kansas City. He becomes the highest paid athlete in the world.
The 10-Year Deal will Begin in 2022
Mahomes had two years left on his old contract with the Chiefs. The 10-year pact doesn’t begin until the year 2022. When the contract runs out, Mahomes will be 36 years old. The contract includes a no-trade clause.
Mahomes’ agent Chris Cabott has called the contract huge and historic. “Never before,” Cabott says, “has an NFL star been the highest paid performer in sports history.”
Mahomes now replaces Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan as the king of the big contracts. Ryan’s was a five-year, $150 million contract extension. San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s plays under a five-year, $137.5 million agreement. That’s petty change compared to the deal Mahomes has made.
Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt called the signing of Mahomes an important moment for the Kansas City franchise and for all the Chiefs’ fans.
Chiefs’ CEO Thrilled with Contract
“Since becoming a member of the Chiefs only a few years ago, we have seen Mahomes develop into a premier athlete,” Hunt said. “He’s an outstanding leader and a credit to our community. I’m thrilled that Mahomes will be with the Chiefs for several seasons to come,” Hunt added.
Such a lengthy contract is unusual in football, mainly because players are always facing the risk of being injured. Then, there is always the possibility of being replaced due to a poor performance.
Patrick Mahomes is certainly the real deal. He has tossed 76 touchdowns since becoming Kansas City’s quarterback before the 2018 season.
In 2018, he threw for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns and earned the MVP award.
Last season, Mahomes, despite being plagued with injury throughout the year, led the Chiefs to the NFL championship, beating the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl.
The question one might ask is this: Who came out of the deal a winner, Kansas City or Patrick Mahomes?
We would really hope that both sides come out winners in this deal. It would be good to see Mahomes play until the contract expires. We would hope to see the Chiefs winning many more Super Bowls over that 10-year span with Mahomes forever calling the signals.
But let’s face it, sports fans. That will not happen.
Kansas City Now Owns Mahomes for 12 Years
While the deal looks good for Mahomes, the young man should have had second thoughts about signing such a long-term contract. The Chiefs now own him for 12 years. He will not be a free agent for 12 years.
The man who is potentially the best player in pro football will now never be able to see how much more he could have made as a free agent. He may have put his golden arm in jeopardy, so to speak.
Then again, the Chiefs know that when or if Mahomes’ skills diminish, they can drop him. Mahomes, you see, is tied down and committed to Kansas City. While business-conscious Kansas City has in no way made the same commitment to Mahomes.
Good luck, Patrick.
