You won’t hear Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes complaining about the rising QB market even though his own contract nowadays looks like a steal.
The Arizona Cardinals and quarterback Kyler Murray agreed to a five-year extension for $230.5 million with $160 million of it fully guaranteed. Murray’s annual salary of $46.1 million ranks second in the NFL behind only Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers.
Mahomes, who signed a 10-year, $450 million contract with $141 million guaranteed in July 2020, said he’s happy for Murray and said the rising cost of doing business at the quarterback position is a good sign for the NFL.
“You want the salary cap to keep going up,” Mahomes said Friday as quarterbacks and rookies reported to training camp in St. Joe, Mo. “You want players to keep getting more and more money. And when I signed that deal, I knew I was going to be pretty set for life regardless of what happens in the market.”
Mahomes’ $45 million average yearly salary will likely continue to drop in the ranks when the likes of Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow and Russell Wilson sign new deals with their teams. And though Mahomes could easily seek to restructure his contract, he said that’s not a priority. He said winning championships is.
“You just keep playing,” Mahomes said. “I mean, money is one thing but when you get those Super Bowl rings at the end of your career, that should be the thing that you look back upon. And I think I’ve made enough money from the football field and off of it as well that it won’t matter at the end of the day.”
What does matter to Mahomes is winning now and in the future. He has led the Chiefs to four straight AFC championship games, two Super Bowls and one Super Bowl win. But that’s six less Super Bowl victories than Tom Brady.
“You obviously want to get paid and take care of your family,” Mahomes said. “But I want to have a great team around me as well. And so whatever way that is, I want to have a great team around me for the rest of my career.”
BROWN UPDATE
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said he didn’t know when left tackle Orlando Brown would report to camp after Brown and the Chiefs failed to reach a long-term deal. But Mahomes has stayed in touch with Brown.
“You want him to be here just because of the guy he is, and he’s a leader on this football team,” Mahomes said. “But at the same time when it comes to money and contracts, I’m never going to force anyone to do anything because I know they’re trying to provide for their family long term. But as a teammate and a friend you want him here and be a part of this.”
