Being a fan or a native from Kansas City,
MO is pretty nice these days, especially after they won Super Bowl LIV back in
February led by their exceptional offensive signal caller. After leading the
Chiefs back to the top of the National Football League (NFL) mountain in five
decades, the Chiefs organization planted their flag of being a team that will
be back in the big game at the start of this week.
On Monday, the Chiefs, and their quarterback
Patrick Mahomes II, the MVP of Super Bowl LIV agreed to terms on reportedly the
largest contract in not just NFL history but in the history of professional
sports in the U.S., a 12-year contract worth close to $503 million, with $141.4
million being guaranteed.
“Good Lord, that a lot of money. It’s a game-changing deal,” Jalen Rose said on ESPN’s “Jalen and Jacoby” on Tuesday. “Anytime you look down at a piece of paper that has your name, and your social security number, and it’s $503 million that you could potentially earn over the next 12 seasons to play football.”
“So, if you’re the Kansas City Chiefs and their General Manager, you did an amazing job of locking up a transcendent talent that can’t be traded over the next decade that’s investing into the franchise. That is what they got from Patrick Mahomes.”
All-Star centerfielder for the Los Angeles Angels Mike Trout had previously held that distinction after inking a 12-year, $426.5 million deal in March 2019. Trout’s deal unlike Mahomes’ is fully guaranteed.
“Since he joined the Chiefs just a few years ago, Patrick has developed into one of the most prolific athletes in all of sports,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement about the No. 10 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
“With his dynamic play and infectious personality, he is one of the most recognized and beloved figures to put on the Chiefs uniform. He’s an extraordinary leader and a credit to the Kansas City community, and I’m delighted that he will be a member of the Chiefs for many years to come.”
When this deal was first reported by ESPN late Monday afternoon, it was thought that Mahomes signed for 10 years at $450 million.
The Chiefs signal caller, who had two years and $27.6 million left on his current deal, will remain in Kansas City through the 2031 season, according to according to ESPN’s NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
Mahomes moved passed running back Ezekiel Elliot of the Dallas Cowboys (through 2026),
offensive tackle Lane Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles (through 2025), linebacker Jaylon Smith (through 2025) also of the Cowboys, and running back Christian McCaffrey (through 2025) of the Carolina Panthers for longest active NFL contracts.
Mahomes, whose fifth-year option was picked up by the Chiefs for the upcoming season back in April said on his Twitter page @PatrickMahomes about his new contract “Here to stay…!
Mahomes, joined Ryan Tannehill of the Tennessee Titans, who signed his extension deal in 2015 while still with the Miami Dolphins, Carson Wentz (signed his extension in 2019) of the Philadelphia Eagles and Jared Goff (also signed his extension in 2019) of the Los Angeles Rams as the four former First-Round selected quarterbacks to sign a contract extension before the start of their fourth season since 2011.
Mahomes also joined Tannehill, former Indianapolis Colt Andrew Luck (signed five-year, $122.9 million extension in 2016), newest New England Patriot Cam Newton (signed a five-year, $103.8 million extension in 2015), former Jacksonville Jaguar Blake Bortles, Goff, and Wentz as the six quarterbacks drafted in the opening-round to land extensions since the league adopted their rookie scale for draft picks.
Everyone in every corner of the NFL universe from players in the league to former players, now NFL analyst was extremely happy for Mahomes in getting the deal he did.
“Pat Mahomes is worth every penny,” is what Darrelle Revis said @Revis24 on Monday.
Mahomes’ teammate in defensive tackle and unrestricted free agent Chris Jones tweeted @StoneColdJones, “QB1 congrats my guy, well deserved to say the least!”
His other teammate in defensive back Kendall Fuller tweeted @KeFu11er in reference to the QB’s days as a baseball player, “Pat getting a baseball contract is so fitting.”
Fellow Chiefs defensive back Tyrann Mathieu tweeted @Mathieu_Era, “The Young man deserves it all. One of the best I’ve been around. One of the Greats. #15 #RunItBack.”
NBC Sports NFL analyst and former quarterback Chris Simms tweeted @CSimmsQB, “Wat to go @Chiefs. Way to get it done. You don’t mess around when u got a player like Mahomes. He is the best player in our game right now. No doubt about it. Congrats @PatrickMahomes you the man!!”
As impressive as this deal is, the Chiefs made sure to cover themselves if Mahomes happens to get injured including an injury guarantee of $141.4 million according to Schefter.
To compare Mahomes injury guarantees in
his deal, Wentz got $107.9 million when he signed his deal in September 2019,
while Goff topped him by $3.1 million at $110 million.
When Wentz signed their deals at four years at $128 million and four years at $134 million respectably in 2019 and Mahomes signed his at the start of this week, all three were due between $26.8 and $27.6 million over the final two years of their current deals before signing their extensions.
Mahomes compared to Wentz and Goff will
make $155.8 million in new money over the next four seasons as part of his new deal,
which is around $14.7 million more than what Goff got after the adjustment for
the inflation of the salary cap at 5.3 percent this year over 2019.
Schefter also reported that if Mahomes
plays the entire term out without any hurdles, this extension could total
around $503 million.
To bring this moment full circle of what the Chiefs did in extending Mahomes, ESPN’s “Sportscenter” anchor Elle Duncan mentioned on the Monday afternoon edition of “Around the Horn” the Chiefs went as mentioned five decades with out winning a Super Bowl title. In the last 20 years alone, they handed out nearly $200 million to quarterbacks.
“So, his contract is already paid for itself when you consider that they’re only off the hook for $141 million should everything else go wrong,” she said. “I am a firm believer in the fact that you earn these types of extensions and you earn this money based on services already rendered. Not on future expectations. He’s already won one. So, it’s paid for itself. I believe however, they’ll win at least another two with Patrick Mahomes under center for the next 10-12 years.”
This deal also includes the ability for
Mahomes to opt out of this contract if certain “guaranteed mechanisms” are not
exercised, a source close to the story told Schefter.
The biggest difference between NFL contracts and NBA, MLB, and NHL contracts is that NFL deals are not guaranteed, which means that a veteran player for instance can get through all of training camp and the preseason before getting cut without any of their income being guaranteed.
To bring this into context, while the New Orleans Saints were able to keep offensive guard Larry Warford on their roster throughout free agency, once they drafted center Cesar Ruiz with the 24th overall pick out of the University of Michigan in the First-Round of the 2020 NFL draft back in April, they no longer needed Warford and they cut ties with him in May, freeing up what would have been his salary of $7.7 million.
That is why when veterans sign contract extensions, they make sure to get in writing that the organization guarantee their salary at or near the start of the new NFL year in March, putting the pressure on their teams to keep them or cut ties with them while free agency is still in the early stages where they can still have a chance for a big pay day.
Mahomes’ case, the Chiefs have to guarantee
each of his salaries and roster bonuses by the third of day of each league
year.
Mahomes will receive $83 million-plus in signing bonuses from 2021-23-receiving $21.7 million in 2021, $27.4 million in 2022, and $34 million-plus in 2023, all fully guaranteed according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
The Chiefs added incentives of $25 million
over a decade for Mahomes in this deal, beginning in 2022. He will receive a
$1.25 million incentive for winning the AFC Championship Game and a $1.25
million incentive for winning league MVP, a source told Schefter.
Considering what he has done at the start
of his NFL career, this deal between Mahomes and the Chiefs is a match made in
heaven.
The Chiefs’ signal caller does not turn 25 until Sept. 17 but he has been so productive for a player at this stage of his NFL career, with 17 career games of 300-yards passing, which is tied with Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions for the most in NFL history by a player before he turns a quarter century old. Mahomes’ eight games with at least four passing touchdowns leads all quarterbacks all-time in the NFL before turning 25 years old.
At 24, Mahomes is also the first in NFL history to win league MVP and Super Bowl MVP before turning age 25.
In 31 career starts in his first three seasons, Mahomes has gone 24-7, including 12-4 this past season and is 4-1 in the playoffs, including a 3-0 mark this past postseason. In those 31 starts, Mahomes has thrown for 9,142 yards, 76 touchdowns and just 18 interceptions. In those five starts in his postseason career, he has registered 1,474 yards, 13 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
Mahomes has also reached 75 passing touchdowns in the fewest starts in NFL history with 30. He threw for 5,097 yards and a league-leading 50 touchdowns passes on his way to being named league MVP in his first full year as a starter back in the 2018 season.
The most important stat about Mahomes is the fact that in his two full seasons as the starter he has only missed two games so far in his career, which came this past season, starting all 16 games in 2018 and 14 of 16 games in 2019
He really showed his greatness this past postseason where he brought the Chiefs back from double-digits deficits in all three playoff games.
Mahomes rallied the Chiefs from a 21-0 deficit in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game versus the Houston Texans (10-6) on Jan. 12 to win 51-31, as they outscored their visitors 51-10 the final three quarters.
He did it again the AFC Championship Game versus the Tennessee Titans one week later as the Chiefs overcame a 10-7 deficit after the first quarter outscoring the Titans 28-14 the final three quarters to win the AFC 35-24.
On the big stage of Super Bowl LIV against the NFL’s top defense, the Chiefs rallied from a 20-10 deficit entering the fourth quarter, outscoring the San Francisco 49ers (13-3) 21-0 to win 31-20 to capture their second Super Bowl in franchise history. Mahomes threw two touchdowns in the final period finishing the game 26 for 42 for 286 passing yards, with three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) and two interceptions.
Mahomes joined now Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ six-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady (Super Bowl XLIX) and Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw (Super Bowl XIV) as the only players to win a Super Bowl despite throwing multiple interceptions.
Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach said getting this deal done was the organizations top priority this offseason and thanks to Mahomes’ team in agents Chris Cabott and Leigh Steinberg, it got done.
“His abilities are so rare, and to couple that with an incredible personality is outstanding,” Veach said of the Chiefs’ offensive signal caller, who led them to their first Super Bowl win in 50 years. “We’re going to continue to do everything we can to surround him with talent, and this deal provides us more flexibility to do that. He’s obviously an integral part to our success, and we’re thrilled he’s going to be the quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs for a long time.”
For all the great numbers he has put up, Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid said that the best part of Mahomes is that he has done all of this in the early part of his NFL journey.
With a dynamic offensive mind like Coach
Reid continuing to teach Mahomes, coupled with the quarterback’s work ethic and
focus, the best is on the horizon.
“He’s a natural leader and always grinding, whether that’s on the field, in the weight room or watching film. He wants to be the best,” Reid said. “He’s a competitor, and his teammates feed off his energy. He makes us all better as an organization, and we are blessed he’s going to be our quarterback for years to come.”
Back in 2017, the Chiefs traded up in the draft to select Mahomes as mentioned No. 10 overall. They did this despite having a solid starter at quarterback in Alex Smith.
Mahomes only appearance was in the finale
of the regular season that year when the Chiefs rested their starters.
The Chiefs traded Smith to the Washington Redskins the season before, making Mahomes the starter and the rest is history as he got them to the brink of the Super Bowl the previous season and they not only made it this past season as mentioned but they won it all led by Mahomes and it seems like the best is yet to come.
One of the words Mahomes used on Monday when he signed his new contract, dynasty.
He saw what Brady and Patriots head coach
Bill Belichick did together for close to two decades and Mahomes sees that he
and Coach Reid could build something close to or better because of the dynamic
skill position players surrounding him unlike what the Pats had.
Surrounding Mahomes are electrifying wide
receivers in 2019 Pro Bowl selections in Tyreek Hill (58 receptions, 860 yards,
seven touchdowns), and Mecole Hardman (26 catches, 538 yards, six touchdowns)
and Sammy Watkins (52 receptions, 673 yards, three touchdowns); a dynamic tight
end in Pro Bowler Travis Kelce (97 receptions, 1,229 yards, five touchdowns);
and exceptional running backs in Damien Williams (111 rushes, 498 yards, five
touchdowns), LeSean McCoy (101 rushes, 465 yards, four touchdowns), and their
First-Round pick from the previously mentioned 2020 draft in April Clyde Edwards-Helaire
from the National Champion LSU Tigers.
“This could be a dynastic team moving forward in a stacked AFC,” David Jacoby said on Tuesday. “I’m so excited for what Kansas City has done here.”
Along with having the Mahomes in place along with the plethora of offensive weapons to take on the rest of the NFL with, the other thing that the Chiefs have in their favor is if for some reasons that Coach Reid decides to retire at any point or move on to coach another team once his contract is up, the Chiefs possibly have his successor in place in offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
While the lack of African American head coaches in the NFL has been a major issue this offseason, with just two at the moment in Brian Flores with the Miami Dolphins and Super Bowl champion Mike Tomlin with the Pittsburgh Steelers, with what Coach Bieniemy has to work with and the synergy he, Coach Reid, quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Mike Kafka, and Mahomes have, things are in place for the Chiefs to be the next dynasty as long as they remain healthy, humble, and hungry to get better.
An important part of that getting better is trying to resign the previously mentioned Jones, whose occupying a $16.1 million cap hold.
While it is possible the Chiefs could trade him, let him play out the upcoming season under the franchise tag or he can make the difficult choice to sit out the 2020 NFL season.
The issue the Chiefs’ front office has in trying
to resign Jones is that they only have left after extending Mahomes’ deal $3.5
million in salary cap space.
The Chiefs’ sack rate on opposing quarterbacks, pressure rate on the other team’s offensive signal caller and run defense in 2019 was better with the Pro Bowler Jones on the sidelines than with him on the field.
But the 2018 Second-Team All-Pro made his presence felt in Super Bowl LIV when he batted down three passes by 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, including two crucial ones in the fourth quarter.
This past season was a special one for the Kansas City Chiefs as they got over the hump of winning their first Super Bowl in five decades. They got there in large part to the stellar growth of their quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who so far in his career has delivered great play and served as the face of the franchise.
On Monday, the Chiefs stepped up to the plate rewarding their quarterback with the largest contract in sports history.
While there is no guarantee that there will be Super Bowl titles in the future for the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs, they at least positioned themselves to think big in those regards. It is now up to the players and coaches to put it all together this upcoming season and in the years that follow. On top of that, Mahomes must remain healthy, and if he does, the Chiefs chances of winning another Super Bowl or two-plus is a serious possibility.
Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 7/6/2020 www.espn.com story, “Patrick Mahomes’ 10-Year Extension: Social Media Reaction;” 7/6/2020 www.espn.com story, “Chiefs Lock Up Patrick Mahomes Through 2031 With Massive Extension;” 7/7/2020 4 p.m. edition of ESPN 2’s “Jalen and Jacoby,” with Jalen Rose and David Jacoby; 7/7/2020 4:40 p.m. edition of ESPN 2’s “Around the Horn,” with Tony Reali, Frank Isola, Israel Gutierrez, and Elle Duncan; 7/7/2020 www.espn.com story, “Is Patrick Mahomes’ $500 Million Contract Actually Team-Friendly? Answering Eight Questions On The Chiefs QB’s Deal,” by Bill Barnwell; https://www.espn.com/nf;/team/stats/_/name/kc; https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/3139477/patrick-mahomes; https://www.espn.com/nfl/game/_/gameid/401131043; https:// www.espn.com/nfl/game/_/gameid/401131044; https://www.espn.com/nfl/game/_/gameid/401131047; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_City_Chiefs; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_LIV; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Jones_(defensive_tackle,_born_1994); https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clyde_Edwards_Helaire; and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Kansas_City_Chiefs_season.
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