Pro Football Rumors
Patrick Mahomes is rehabbing ACL and LCL tears, but Week 1 remains the superstar quarterback’s goal. The NFL schedule — which features Chiefs primetime games in Weeks 1, 2 and 6 — certainly points to an expectation Kansas City will have its top player available to open the season. For the long term, the Chiefs are expressing tremendous confidence in Mahomes as well.
Already having the all-time great signed through 2031 — via the 10-year extension reached in 2020 — the Chiefs added two seasons to the deal and signed off on a record AAV. Mahomes agreed to an eight-year, $504.75MM extension Wednesday, tying him to the Chiefs through 2033. This is the NFL’s first $500MM player contract, and this one looks better for the quarterback than his $450MM pact from 2020 did.
With Mahomes’ previous deal expiring after the 2031 season, it may not be a coincidence the Chiefs tacked on the additional two years months after agreeing to move across the Kansas state line beginning in 2031. But the key points of this agreement will come in the 2020s, even if the team now has a selling point to prospective season-ticket holders well into the 2030s now.
Although initial reports indicated the deal included four fully guaranteed years, a deeper look into the contract reveals that to be a slight exaggeration. The deal does include two fully guaranteed years and a sizable chunk of Year 3 guaranteed at signing, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, who adds the $63.1MM-AAV contract will bring a record $237.25MM over four years (Dak Prescott‘s $175.56MM three-year cash total bests Mahomes’ updated number — $174.75MM — according to Spotrac).
That entire four-year sum is guaranteed for injury. The $237.25MM brings an NFL record in total guarantees, surpassing Prescott’s $231MM number from 2024. Mahomes agreeing to add years to his historically long Chiefs deal will also help the AFC West franchise, which restructured his previous contract to create cap space on five occasions. It would not surprise to see that trend continue on the new through-2033 accord.
Restructures are almost certainly set to occur beginning next year. Mahomes is now tied to a $34.65MM cap number in 2026, according to OverTheCap, but will see his 2027 figure check in at $90.35MM. That number will be adjusted via a restructure, as it is an untenable cap hit at this point in time.
Mahomes’ 2028 and ’29 cap figures are beyond $82MM, and his 2030 number checks in above $74MM. While more manageable — especially as the cap will keep rising — cap hits are in place from 2031-33 ($65.8MM, $68MM, $70MM), Mahomes returning to his previous form will likely lead to another revised agreement by that point.
Mahomes will see $35.5MM of his 2028 compensation lock in next week, per Breer, who adds the remaining $24.75MM will vest in 2028. March 2028 also brings a key date, as Mahomes will see his 2029 roster bonus ($30MM) vest a year early. The Chiefs used a rolling...
