The Kansas City Chiefs know how important keeping quarterback Patrick Mahomes upright is to their chances of winning. If they can protect him, he can carve up opponents with incredible precision, always making the right read and play.
To ensure that he continues to be protected, the Chiefs worked out a historic contract with center Creed Humphrey. The two sides agreed to a four-year extension worth $72 million.
That is the largest contract for a center in NFL history. It also includes $50 million in guarantees sources told Adam Teicher of ESPN.
“He’s a heck of a football player, a real good football player,” Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid commented after his team lost to the Chicago Bears on Thursday night. “He started off that way and he kept it going that way. So we appreciate all he does and we appreciate having him here.”
Humphrey did not speak to the media after the game, but this is assuredly something that he is very excited about. Being rewarded for his performance on the field with a historic contract is something every player aspires for.
A 2021 second-round pick out of Oklahoma, Humphrey has been manning the pivot for the team since his name was announced at the draft. He is an elite pass blocker, recording a 98.8 pass block win rate during the 2023 season.
That was good enough for second place among interior offensive linemen. The only player who was ahead of him was Joe Thuney, who plays alongside of him with the Kansas City Chiefs at guard.
“Needless to say, we’re extremely excited to continue Creed’s career here,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said. “He’s been great for our organization, and look, we have been very fortunate to have a really a good group of young guys and hopefully, we are able to get a little bit more work done with some of these other young guys as well.”
It will be interesting to see if the player on the other side of Humphrey, Trey Smith, gets a contract next. He is entering the final year of his deal and was elite in his own right last season.
His 96.6 pass block win rate was No. 3 among interior linemen. It was a clean sweep for the Kansas City Chiefs, who are committed to keeping Mahomes upright with elite play in the trenches.
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