Less than three years after receiving the richest contract in NFL history, Patrick Mahomes now ranks seventh in average salary among quarterbacks.
But kansas city chiefs The star isn’t fazed by the situation and insisted Wednesday that he’s more concerned about earning more Super Bowl rings than fattening up his past account.
“I’ve always said that I’m more concerned with winning a legacy and a ring than making money at this point,” Mahomes, a two-time Super Bowl champion, told reporters. “We look at what’s going on around the league, but at the same time, I would never do anything that would hurt us keeping our great players around. So it’s kind of around that line.”
Mahomes signed a 10-year, $450 million extension in July of 2020, averaging $45 million per season.
But six quarterbacks have surpassed Mahomes in terms of average salary. This offseason alone, Lamar Jackson ($52 million AAV) of the Baltimore Ravens and Jalen Hurts ($51 million) of the Philadelphia Eagles signed rich extensions that leave them as the top two on the list.
Also ahead of Mahomes are Aaron Rodgers ($50.2M) of the New York Jets, Russell Wilson ($48.5M) of the Denver Broncos, Kyler Murray ($46.1M) of the Arizona Cardinals and Deshaun Watson ($46M) of the Cleveland Browns.
In addition, Joe Burrows of the Cincinnati Bengals and Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers are close to extensions that could top Mahomes as well.
Mahomes’ deal runs through the 2031 season and he said he understands the constraints of the salary cap chiefs other good players need to be locked
“You just want to do what doesn’t hurt the other quarterbacks (financially),” Mahomes said. “Whenever their contracts come up, you want to keep the bar (high) going forward.
“It’s not about being the highest-paid person; it’s not about making a lot of money. I’ve made enough money to be where I’ll be established for the rest of my life. But at the same time, you have to find that Where you’re making a lot of money, but you’re still keeping a lot of great players around you so you can win these Super Bowls and you can compete in these games.”
Chiefs Indicated they want to make adjustments to Mahomes’ contract, but didn’t detail a timetable
Mahomes, 27, has thrown for 24,241 yards and 192 touchdowns while throwing for just 49 interceptions in 80 career starts. chiefs in six seasons. He won his second NFL MVP award last season when he passed for a career-high 5,250 yards to go along with 41 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. he also guided chiefs For the 38–35 victory over the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII
– Field Level Media