Sports

Patrick Mahomes discusses decision to pursue a restructured contract with the Chiefs

“I want to make a lot of money, but I also want to win,” the reigning NFL MVP told reporters Wednesday at the Kansas City Chiefs practice facility

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes received perhaps the greatest 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day gift of all time the day after he turned 28 years old — a raise of about $43.3 million.

The reigning NFL MVP talked with reporters on Wednesday for the first time since his agents negotiated a complete restructuring of his contract.

The quarterback was typically grateful, humble and calculated with his words.

Mahomes’ full press conference can be watched in the video player above.

“I’m in a great spot. I’ve got a lot of great people around me,” Mahomes said. “I’m very grateful to the Hunt family and the Chiefs organization. I’m glad that now I can just go out there and play football.”

After negotiating a relatively team-friendly 10-year extension with the Chiefs in 2020, Mahomes slowly fell to eighth in annual salary among NFL quarterbacks. The re-shaping of his deal pushes guaranteed money from the back of his contract to the next three seasons, and his annual salary back to the top.

He will now be dolled out $210.6 million between the 2023 and 2026 seasons, with the potential to earn up to $218.1 million.

Since taking his initial deal, the quarterback has been hailed for prioritizing Super Bowls over his salary. He insisted that this was the best middle ground between getting paid and allowing the team to continue surrounding him with talent.

“Keep the quarterback market going. At the same time, keep a lot of great dudes around me and keep cap space for other guys to get signed as well,” Mahomes said.

The new structure did create a little contract breathing room for Kansas City in 2023, opening up an additional $2.5 million in cap space.

The quarterback’s original contract allowed the team to convert salary into a signing bonus and push guarantees to future years. That feature reportedly remains in place.

“I want to want to be here so we can win a lot of Super Bowls and I want to make a lot of money, but I also want to win,” Mahomes said. “I think when you look back, at teams and players, you look back at how they won and the perception of how they did things.”

According to Mahomes, another motivating factor behind the deal is what it can do for other players at his position in the NFL.

“I don’t want people to be negotiated against me. And so that’s the reason that you do something like what I did this last week,” Mahomes said. “Just trying to keep the market moving in the right direction, trending in the right direction. So not only me but other quarterbacks in other positions can get paid the money that they deserve.”

While Mahomes is technically under contract for another eight seasons following 2023, moving money to the front of his deal means the team will have to renegotiate with the QB after the 2026 season when he will be 31.

Mahomes believes the new agreement was the product of a healthy relationship between himself and the Chiefs organization.

“I know that I’m doing it a different way than other people, but I feel like it’s the right way for me,” he said. “Because of the trust that I have in the front office, that I’m still going to make a lot of money and be set for life and for my kids and everything like that.”

The quarterback was also asked if the massive sum of money adds any pressure to the already sky-high expectations of his on-field performance.

“I always feel like I’m under pressure to go out there and succeed. I feel like that’s a standard that I have for myself. I want to go out there and maximize this opportunity that I have, Mahomes said. “I always talk about not having regrets. And I mean, the money is the money. It’s awesome. It’s amazing. I know I can do a lot of great things, not only for myself, but for people that have given me so much. But at the end of the day, look back on how I played the game, and I hope that that’s with intensity and leaving everything out there and hopefully that means winning a lot of football games.”

The All-Pro player has an excellent opportunity to live up to his contract Sunday as the Chiefs take on a floundering Chicago Bears team.

Head coach Andy Reid, cornerback Trent McDuffie, and defensive end George Karlaftis also spoke to the media on Wednesday ahead of the Sunday afternoon matchup.

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