Underpaid in KC? Patrick Mahomes dishes on QB deals

Patrick Mahomes' $450 million deal remains the NFL's gold standard when it comes to total contract value. But the $45 million average annual value for the 10-year deal he reached in 2020 is suddenly tied for 11th among the league's quarterbacks. The three-time Super Bowl MVP saw Miami's Tua Tagovailoa ($53.1 million average annual value) and Green Bay's Jordan Love ($55M AAV) recently surge past him on that chart, yet insists he does not feel underpaid. "It's awesome for the game of football," Mahomes told USA Today Sports after practice at training camp Sunday. "It's awesome for the quarterback position, but I think all positions. I know every time a contract comes up, everybody looks at my APY (average per year) and everything like that. I'm doing pretty well myself. For me, it's just about going out there trying to win football games, trying to make money for my family at the end of the day. I feel like I'm doing a great job of that." Love and Tagovailoa became the latest members of the $50 million club, joining Cincinnati's Joe Burrow ($55M), Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence ($55M), Detroit's Jared Goff ($53M), the Chargers' Justin Herbert ($52.5M), Baltimore's Lamar Jackson ($52M) and Philadelphia's Jalen Hurts ($51M), per Spotrac. Arizona's Kyler Murray ($46.1M) and Cleveland's DeShaun Watson ($46M) also have bigger paychecks than the Kansas City superstar, who is tied in that 11th spot with Atlanta's Kirk Cousins. Mahomes, 28, is a six-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time NFL MVP who enters 2024 with a 74-22 record in the regular season and 15-3 in the playoffs. He has passed for 28,424 yards with 219 touchdowns and 63 interceptions. Mahomes said he focuses on the big picture and the importance of playing for an organization that has remained competitive despite his hefty salary. "I think we do a great job of managing my money, to be able to pay me a lot of money and keep a good team around me," he said. "I know we've kind of restructured it a couple of times and got the cash flow up in certain spots and certain years. It's about having a good dialogue, good communication with the front office, with ownership. We've done that here. And as we've been able to allow me to be a highly paid guy while at the same time build a great team around me." --Field Level Media