The Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes agreed to an adjusted contract this week that will now see him earn $208.1 million from 2023 through 2026.
On Wednesday, Mahomes was asked about his new deal and told reporters, “I’m in a great spot.”
“I’ve got a lot of great people around me,” Mahomes said in his press conference. “Very thankful to the Hunt family and the Chiefs organization and glad that now I can just go out there and play football. And so, you get that security — and I already had it, but just to get a little bump and then be able to go back out there and just play football, I’m excited for it.”
As he’s said before, Mahomes noted the importance of keeping the line moving when it comes to the market rate for quarterbacks and his own contract.
“I don’t want people to be negotiated against me,” Mahomes said. “So, that’s a reason that you do something that I did this last week, just trying to keep the market moving in the right direction, trending in the right direction so that it’s not only me but other quarterbacks and other positions can get paid the money they deserve.”
But Mahomes also has kept his own team in mind when considering the structure of any contract. He feels like he’s found a balance between keeping the market going and not hampering the team from putting strong talent around him.
“You have a lot of great players that I want to be here so we can win a lot of Super Bowls,” Mahomes said. “I want to make a lot of money, but I also want to win. And 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, and so that’s what I try to manage and find the right median of getting the money but also winning football games.”
What Mahomes doesn’t feel is any additional pressure based on this renegotiated contract.
“I always feel like I’m under pressure to go out there and succeed,” Mahomes said. “I feel like that’s a standard that I have on myself and I want to go out there and maximize the opportunity that I have. I always talk about not having regrets. And 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 who have given me so much.
“But at the end of the day, I’m going to look back on how I played the game. And I hope that’s with intensity and leaving everything out there. And hopefully, that means winning a lot of football games.”
