In St. Joseph, Missouri, Patrick Mahomes is not sweating over his paycheck. Despite emerging quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Jordan Love securing massive new contracts last Friday, Mahomes remains calm and collected.
“It’s awesome for the game of football,” Mahomes shared in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY Sports after a training camp practice with the Kansas City Chiefs. “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 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.”
However, when you consider Mahomes’ three Super Bowl MVPs alongside his $45 million average annual salary on his 10-year, $450 million deal signed in 2020, something seems amiss. At least by APY comparison, the 28-year-old Mahomes seems to be undervalued.
I mean, if these other quarterbacks are averaging well over $50 million – Joe Burrow ($55 million), Trevor Lawrence ($55 million), and Jared Goff ($53 million) – are averaging more than the NFL’s reigning top player, what is Mahomes truly worth?
Despite this discrepancy, Mahomes doesn’t feel shortchanged when looking at another crucial aspect of contract value: cash flow. Despite the shifting landscape of average salaries with new deals, Mahomes still leads the pack in terms of cash flow over a four-year period.
So, while Mahomes may not be raking in the same median salary as his counterparts, he remains content with his current situation and focus on leading the Chiefs to even more victories on the field.
