Is Mahomes underpaid? Ex-NFL QB says Chiefs should have structured his deal differently
The Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes was voted by his peers as the best player in the NFL, but he’s only eighth among league quarterbacks in average salary.
After receiving a five-year, $262.5 million contract extension last month that will pay out an average of $52.5 million annually, the Chargers’ Justin Herbert now has the highest average salary in the NFL.
Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray and Deshaun Watson all have a higher average salary than Mahomes, per CBS Sports.
Mahomes may soon slip to ninth on that list when the Bengals and Joe Burrow agree to a deal.
Former Cincinnati quarterback Boomer Esiason said on the “Boomer and Gio” podcast that Burrow’s agent should seek a contract tied to the NFL’s salary cap. Esiason added that also is what should have been written into Mahomes’ contract with the Chiefs.
“If you’re the agent, what you’d like to negotiate in the contract — and I know that the NFL does not want this — and they may have a rule against that (or) they may institute a rule against it, because I know some owner would do this,” Esiason said. “If I were the agent, I would say, ‘Look I want at least, say, 17 1/2% of the salary cap no matter what the number is. My contract is going to reflect the increase in the salary cap as we move on.’ I doubt that that is going to go on in Cincinnati
“That’s what Patrick Mahomes should have gotten. I mean, think about him. He’s the face of the league. And he did that Peyton Manning ‘Quarterback’ thing, which really gave you a really unique look as to what it means to be a leader in the NFL, and how you carry yourself on the field. And he has almost a broken leg and he tells Andy Reid you’re not taking me out of the game.”
Co-host Jerry Recco said: “You’d run through a brick wall for a guy like that.”
Recco said Mahomes, the NFL MVP, deserves to get a new contract from the Chiefs. Mahomes signed a 10-year contract extension in 2020 that could be worth up to $503 million.
“I say that Mahomes to me is underpaid,” Recco said. “And I know the money is crazy. And then in the length of the contract, he’s getting paid well, but I think there are certain guys that do deserve it (more money), like Aaron Rodgers. The effect he’s had on the Jets the feeling of this team. ...
“He’s another one where it just changes the feeling around the team to where you feel like they can win. And there are quarterbacks in this league that make a lot of money that you don’t feel that way about. And to me those guys are overpaid, where these guys are underpaid.“
