Patrick Mahomes' 10-year extension -- that is worth up to $503 million with over $141 million guaranteed -- is the most lucrative contract in the history of American sports. The extension will pay Mahomes an average of $45 million per season, $10 million more than the NFL's next highest-paid quarterback, Seattle's Russell Wilson. While the contract he received was record-breaking It appears that Mahomes possibly could have been the NFL's first $50 million (per season) quarterback. On Monday, Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, who recently inked a four-year, $85 million extension (with $60 million guaranteed) with Kansas City, said that Mahomes told him that he "left some on the table" in order to help the Chiefs re-sign him.
"When Pat's deal got done, Pat texted me and said 'Let's get this thing done. I left some on the table, let's get this thing done,'" Jones said, via Terez A. Paylor of Yahoo Sports. "And that's when I had the security that me and the Chiefs were going to work something out."
Mahomes clearly values having great players around him. Shortly after signing his extension, Mahomes credited safety Tyrann Mathieu as one of the key contributors to the Chiefs' 2019 Super Bowl run. Mathieu, during his first season with the Chiefs, earned All-Pro honors for a second time after recording four interceptions along with 12 pass breakups during the regular season. Mathieu, who made an additional 18 tackles during the postseason, was so good during his first season in Kansas City, that he was recently tabbed as the top safety in the NFL by CBS Sports NFL writer Patrik Walker.
It's also clear, based on Jones' comments, that Mahomes values his contributors to the Chiefs' championship run. A Pro Bowl selection for the first time last season, Jones recorded nine sacks last season (after tallying a career-high 15 sacks in 2018) after moving from defensive end to defensive tackle.
The play of Jones and Mathieu helped anchor a Chiefs defense that got better as the 2019 season wore on. After allowing 225 rushing yards in their Week 10 loss to the Titans, the Chiefs' defense held five of their final nine opponents to under 100 rushing yards. In their rematch against the Titans in the AFC Championship Game, Kansas City held Derrick Henry to just 69 yards rushing in the Chiefs' 35-24 victory. Kansas City's pass defense also rose to the forefront, allowing just 210 passing yards against the Titans and 49ers.
While Mahomes may have left some money on the bargaining table, it's clear that he wants to make the most of his team's current championship window. That feeling is shared by Chiefs' Pro Bowl receiver Tyreek Hill, who recently told TMZ Sports that he believes that Mahomes is more valuable than his massive extension.
"I'm proud of just the Chiefs in general for getting all these deals done, man," said Hill, who signed his own lucrative extension with the Chiefs last fall. "Because they understand right now is our time, like this is our window to be great, for us to build that dynasty and I'm just happy to be along with them."
