Mahomes downplays contract talk, says legacy matters more than money

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The average annual salary of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes currently sits at $45 million per year.

This off-season, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Baltimore Ravens signal-caller Lamar Jackson each surpassed Mahomes in the average annual value of their contracts while Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow and Los Angeles Chargers leader Justin Herbert are expected to get paid in the near future.

Still, despite a recent report from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio that the Chiefs and their two-time MVP quarterback could look to reset the quarterback contract market by reworking his 10-year deal to make him the highest-paid player in the league again, Mahomes downplayed his desire for a new deal Wednesday.

“Me, my agent, and the team always keep an open communication,” Mahomes said Wednesday following OTAs. “And we try to do what’s best for the team, but obviously I want to do what’s best for myself as well. At the same time, I’ve always said I worry about legacy and winning rings more than making money at this moment.”

When Mahomes signed his 10-year deal worth $450 million he skyrocketed up the rankings for average annual value among quarterbacks in the league, becoming the highest-paid player in the NFL. Now, Mahomes is the seventh-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.

“I’ll never do anything that hurts us from keeping the great players around me,” Mahomes said. “So we’re teetering around that line.”

Mahomes admitted that he feels a responsibility to not take an extreme discount that would hurt quarterbacks around the league.

“You just want to do whatever it takes to not hurt other quarterbacks whenever their contracts come up,” the reigning league and Super Bowl MVP said. “You want to keep the bar pushing. It’s not about being the highest-paid or making a ton of money but I’ve made enough money that I’ll be set for the rest of my life.

“You have to find that line where you’re making a good amount of money but you’re still keeping great players around you so you can win these Super Bowls and be able to compete in these games.”

Mahomes on the move

Since winning the Super Bowl in February Mahomes has appeared at the Met Gala, Kentucky Derby and Formula 1′s Miami Grand Prix. In June, he and the Chiefs will go to the White House. With more still on his calendar for the summer, Mahomes said many events were not a part of his plans until he’d won a second Super Bowl.

“This is stuff that I had always wanted to do,” he said. “I always wanted to go to the Kentucky Derby, but I wanted to win the Super Bowl before I went and obviously the last one we had COVID that canceled that. So I was glad we were able to experience that. It was an awesome race. It’s picking and choosing what you can do and now we’re back at football so locking down and getting your body in the right spot.

“I have a few more trips but nothing too major.”