Quarterback Patrick Mahomes led the Kansas City Chiefs to a victory in Super Bowl LIV, earning Super Bowl MVP honors in the process. Now the team is rewarding him with a massive contract that will keep the former first-round pick in Missouri for a very long time. ESPN reports that Mahomes and the Chiefs agreed to a 10-year contract.
Mahomes turns 25 when his fourth season begins in September. This means that he will be 36 when the contract ends, provided he and the team don’t renegotiate in the future. This age used to be the endpoint of several careers, but Tom Brady and Drew Brees have shown that quarterbacks can continue to find immense success into their late 30s and past the age of 40.
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According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, this deal will make Mahomes the richest player in league history. He revealed that the contract is worth up to $503 million. It also includes an injury guarantee worth $150 million and $477 million in guarantee mechanisms. Schefter originally believed that the contract was tied to a percentage of the salary cap, but the team opted for a different route. This deal still stands as the richest in sports history.
The Chiefs made Mahomes the 10th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft following the Chicago Bears selecting Mitch Trubisky second overall. He sat out during his first season in the league, starting only the season finale. Mahomes took over as the starter for Alex Smith in 2018 and proceeded to throw for more than 5,000 yards, as well as 50 touchdowns. He earned NFL MVP honors and led the Chiefs to the 2018 AFC Championship.
Despite losing to the eventual Super Bowl-champion New England Patriots, the Chiefs entered the 2019 season with the expectation of reaching Super Bowl LIV. Mahomes didn’t put up massive numbers due to dislocating his knee and missing two games, but he led the team back to the playoffs once again. Mahomes then led a historic comeback from a 24-point deficit against the Houston Texans. The Chiefs returned to the AFC Championship once again and defeated the Tennessee Titans to book a trip to Super Bowl LIV.
This is not the first massive contract awarded to a quarterback under head coach Andy Reid. The Philadelphia Eagles previously signed Donovan McNabb to a 12-year, $115 million deal in 2002. This followed Drew Bledsoe’s 10-year deal with the New England Patriots and Brett Favre’s “lifetime” deal with the Green Bay Packers in 2001.
