Why Patrick Mahomes Should Have Waited To Negotiate

Author: Isaac Weiss

Patrick Mahomes has already proven that he is on the same level as some of the top quarterbacks to ever come into the league.  He has the record for most passing yards through 25 career games with 8,007.  The player with the second most? Kurt Warner with just under 7,400.  And that’s not all, he also has the most passing touchdowns through 25 career games, the most completions through 25 starts, and the highest passer rating.  He leads all quarterbacks in NFL history through the four criteria most commonly used to evaluate and rank quarterback performance.  

Along with all of the records he has broken before the age of 25, he is a Super Bowl MVP, Super Bowl Champion, and league MVP, so of course he deserves the largest contract in NFL history. But, he deserves a contract that will make him the highest paid player not only for the next few years, but for his entire career.  

This is a player that has played better than any quarterback up to his age and has yet to reach his prime.  For Mahomes, his accolades and stats at this age are unheard of and years from now we will likely be talking about whether he is the greatest of all time.  

Mahomes 10-year deal includes an annual salary of $45 million starting in 2022 making him the highest paid player in American sports history.   This deal would appear to benefit Mahomes because who wouldn’t take a contract to become the highest paid athlete in America?  In reality, with the expansion of the NFL television deals, contract freedom, and the increasing value of quarterbacks, Mahomes was underpaid by quite a bit.  

 Patrick Mahomes is locked into a contract with the Chiefs for the next 12 years.  A lot can happen over 12 years and history tells the full story.  There have been five NFL players to sign contract extensions for 10 years or more and none have lasted the full length of their deal.  Brett Favre, Drew Bledsoe, and Donovan McNabb were traded, Daunte Culpepper suffered a career ruining injury, and Michael Vick was released following his dogfighting charges.  Basically, long-term contracts of this length have been more beneficial to the team and not the player.  

The NFL and media companies are renegotiating broadcast rights for NFL games after their contract through 2021 expires.  This will raise the salary cap and as a result the value of major stars around the league, especially quarterbacks and Patrick Mahomes.  

As Alexander Tassopoulos said on the most recent ‘sode, “He could potentially make so much more money if it were a shorter-term deal and then he looked to resign when he’s a free agent in 2025.”  Mahomes is the highest paid athlete in in American sports history, but it seems odd that his agent would not advise him to hold off until he becomes a free agent to guarantee he gets the best deal he can.  

Prior to Mahomes’ contract signing, Dak Prescott wanted a four-year deal worth over $35 million per season which would have made him the highest paid quarterback ahead of Russell Wilson.  This $45 million deal by the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes will give Dak more leverage in his negotiations to receive $35 million, and there will likely be a domino effect across the league.  

Year after year contracts continue to get more expensive and every year it feels like the new largest contract in history occurs.  There is a reason that few players commit to a single contract for such a long period of time and yet Mahomes is a Kansas City Chief for the next 12 years.  If Mahomes lives up to his potential and can continue to improve, he will look back on this contract and regret not taking a shorter deal and renegotiating.