Patrick Mahomes seems to be following Tom Brady's lead and isn't asking for a elevate on his $450 million contract

• Patrick Mahomes signed a $450 million deal in 2020, however now ranks seventh amongst quarterbacks in common annual wage.
• Mahomes might restructure his contract to earn extra, however advised reporters he’d slightly preserve the Chiefs aggressive.
• The logic is just like Tom Brady, who for years took much less with the Patriots to assist them compete.

Patrick Mahomes’ $450 million contract has change into a steal for the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs.

As wild as which will sound, Mahomes’ deal is pretty team-friendly in an period of accelerating quarterback salaries, with a mean annual wage of $45 million, seventh-highest within the NFL, based on Spotrac. hyperlink to Spotrac supply?

And Mahomes is content material to maintain it that means.

Chatting with reporters on Wednesday, Mahomes mentioned he is not apprehensive about restructuring his contract to change into the highest-paid quarterback within the league as a result of his present contract provides the Chiefs the flexibleness to construct round him.

“I’ve all the time mentioned I fear about legacy and profitable rings greater than making a living at this second,” Mahomes mentioned, based on ESPN’s Adam Teicher. “We see what is going on on across the league, however on the identical time, I am going to by no means do something that is going to harm us from protecting the nice gamers round me. So it is form of teetering round that line.”

Mahomes signed his record-breaking, 10-year deal in 2020. Even when he signed it,it was clear the deal would work nicely for the Chiefs; the sport’s greatest quarterback was locked right into a secure, long-term contract in a league with a rising wage cap, the place every quarterback goals to set a brand new report with their subsequent deal.

Within the years since Mahomes has signed his deal, seven completely different quarterbacks have signed new contracts that exceed his in common annual wage. In response to Spotrac, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson at the moment leads the league with a mean wage of $52 million as a part of a five-year, $260 million deal he signed this offseason.

In April, Chiefs GM Brett Veach advised reporters that the workforce would look into restructuring Mahomes’ contract to convey it extra according to different high quarterbacks.

Mahomes, nonetheless, appears detached so long as the workforce continues to signal proficient gamers to maintain the Chiefs in Tremendous Bowl rivalry.

“It is not about being the highest-paid man; it is not about making a ton of cash,” Mahomes mentioned on Wednesday. “I’ve made sufficient cash the place I will be set for the remainder of my life. However on the identical time, you bought to seek out that line the place you are making amount of cash however you are still protecting a whole lot of nice gamers round you so you may win these Tremendous Bowls and also you’re in a position to compete in these video games.”

It is a philosophy just like that of Tom Brady. For years, Brady took lower than he might have from the New England Patriots in order that they might subject a proficient workforce round him. In 2020, Insider reported that Brady sacrificed no less than $60 million to maintain the Patriots aggressive.

Throughout an look on “Jimmy Kimmel Dwell” in 2019, Brady defined his logic for taking lower than he might. It was just like Mahomes’ latest feedback.

“I believe the factor I’ve all the time felt for me in my life, profitable has been a precedence,” Brady mentioned. “It is a wage cap. You’ll be able to solely spend a lot and the extra that one man will get is much less for others. And for a aggressive benefit standpoint, I wish to get a whole lot of good gamers round me.”

Mahomes even appeared to acknowledge Brady’s considering, specifically, on Wednesday, saying “the greats within the league” discover the “proper spot” between being extremely paid and protecting the workforce aggressive.

With two Tremendous Bowls in 4 years, Mahomes and the Chiefs are starting to resemble the Brady-Patriots dynasty.