There's not much debate about who the best quarterback is in the NFL right now. If you ask almost anyone, they'll likely tell you that Patrick Mahomes is currently the league's top QB.
Although Mahomes is the best quarterback in the NFL, he's NOT the highest-paid QB, and believe it or not, he actually likes it that way. During a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Mahomes explained that when it comes to his contract, he's basically stealing Tom Brady's philosophy: He's not going to take every penny he can get.
"I've looked at Tom's model and how he did it," Mahomes said. "That's it -- you want to make money for yourself and for your family. You want to keep pushing the market forward for other quarterbacks. You don't want to be someone that they [use against other players]. But at the same time, I want these other guys to get paid. I want Chris Jones to be in training camp. I want Travis Kelce to always be making money. I want everybody on the team here. I have a great offensive line. It's everything around me."
Brady was famous for taking below market deals and it appears that Mahomes is going to do the same. The Chiefs QB is currently playing under a 10-year, $450 million deal that pays him $45 million a year. Although that's a lot money, it only ranks seventh among quarterbacks in average annual value and he'll almost certainly fall to eighth once Joe Burrow gets his new contract.
As he mentioned, a big reason Mahomes is willing to make the financial sacrifice is so that the Chiefs can keep other key players, which will keep Kansas City's Super Bowl window wide open for years to come.
One reason Mahomes is open to taking a discount is because the Chiefs front office has been open with him about where the extra money will go, something that the Patriots -- and Bill Belichick -- didn't necessarily do for Brady during his 20 years in New England.
"It's all about having open conversation with [GM] Brett Veach, Coach Reid, [owner] Clark Hunt, and just knowing where that happy medium is," Mahomes said. "That will be out there throughout my entire career. To me, it's not always about being the highest paid. It's about making enough money for me and my family, and keep moving the game forward for everybody."
That last part is also important. Mahomes doesn't want to take such a big discount that he hurts the market for other quarterbacks, but he's clearly fine with not being on top of the financial food chain.
Justin Herbert is currently the NFL's highest-paid QB with his recent $262.5 million extension that added $52.5 million per year to his contract. With two Super Bowl wins and two MVPs, Mahomes could likely command as much as $60 million per year, but that could create salary cap issues for the Chiefs and Mahomes doesn't want that.
The Chiefs quarterback wants to win Super Bowls and by stealing Brady's contract philosophy, he might some day be able to match the NFL legend in Super Bowl wins.
