Patrick Mahomes needed just one more Super Bowl to match the tally of Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw before even turning 30. Though he came up short last season in a botched 3-peat attempt, Mahomes still remains arguably the greatest QB in his generation. Considering that in his first 7 seasons, he has won 3 Lombardi Trophies, three Super Bowl MVPs, and two NFL MVPs, Mahomes has never really put a foot wrong. So, obviously, his success on the gridiron has transcended to him becoming one of the best-compensated players in the league. However, with his mammoth 10-year, $450M contract comes its fair share of problems.
See, the Chiefs were projected to enter the new league year with more than $19M over the salary cap space. This could have caused trouble for them in processing other contracts. So, without much thought, they turned to Mahomes for help. He was set to account for a $28M salary cap hit as part of his historic $450M contract. They called him and shifted approximately $23M of his salary to later years of his contract. Doing so helped the Chiefs open up a staggering $49M in cap space. Though they also restructured DT Chris Jones’ $158.8M contract, it was Mahomes’ fourth restructure since 2021.
He will now have a base salary of $45.4M in 2026 and $45.8M in 2027. Of course, that contract manoeuvring hugely benefited the Chiefs. Given the opportunity, they brought in multiple talents through free agency. Jaylon Moore, Kristian Fulton, and Elijah Mitchell all joined the Chiefs through the first wave of free agency. And let’s not forget they also re-signed Nick Bolton and Hollywood Brown. So, you can obviously understand the weight Mahomes’ contract holds on the Chiefs’ payroll. Considering the Chiefs have already restructured his contract 4 times, the question remains whether or not they will revisit it this offseason.
To answer this burning thought, Bleacher Report’s NFL insider James Palmer gave an update on a possible scenario that could pan out in future. He did say that despite the Chiefs restructuring Mahomes’ contract so many times, their relationship is “very, very good.” And he also said that whatever may come in the future, Mahomes will be “fine” with it. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport stated back in 2023 that Mahomes could soon reset the market a little after the 2026 season.
Will the Chiefs restructure Patrick Mahomes’ contract this offseason?
James Palmer weighs in…@heykayadams | @JamesPalmerTV pic.twitter.com/LqQSOFpqCB
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) May 20, 2025
Well, considering he ain’t one of the highest paid QBs at least annually, he could have a thing or two to say on this matter.
Patrick Mahomes’ $450M mega deal looks small compared to his peers
Looking through the lens of average annual value right now, Mahomes is not even in the top 10 of the highest-paid QBs in the league. Dak Prescott’s $60M contract reigns supreme over others. Followed by the likes of Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love in the top five. As for Mahomes, he ranks 14th on the list with only $45M AAV. And that’s not all. Even in terms of guaranteed money, Mahomes barely makes the top 5.
Here, Josh Allen’s $250M guarantees rank at the top. He is followed by Deshaun Watson ($230M), Dak Prescott ($229M), Joe Burrow ($219M) and finally Patrick Mahomes ($208.1M). But if you look at the total contract value, no one even comes close to Mahomes’ $450M contract spread through 10 years. However, judging by the way Mahomes has been leading the Chiefs ever since he joined the club. He obviously deserves to tower over his peers in terms of compensation, at least.
No one has had the impact of Mahomes’ calibre for their respective franchise. And even if they did, Mahomes easily outmatches their record through the Super Bowls he has won so far. So, only time will tell whether the Chiefs will make their once-in-a-generation talent the highest-paid player in all junctures sooner or later.
The post Biggest Question on Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs Contract Answered as NFL Insider Provides Update on Tuesday appeared first on EssentiallySports.
