Patrick Mahomes restructures Kansas City Chiefs contract inspired by Tom Brady
Patrick Mahomes is following in the footsteps of Tom Brady with his latest contract move. The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Tuesday that they have agreed to restructure Mahomes' contract, aiming for a third consecutive win in the 2024 NFL season.
This change will free up an extra $21.6 million (£16.88m) of salary-cap space, giving the Chiefs more money to spend as they aim to be the first team to win three Super Bowls in a row in NFL history. With the Chiefs having kept Chris Jones on a five-year, $158.8 million (£135.6m) deal - with $60 million (£46.90m) guaranteed at signing - and Drue Tranquill, they are going all out to make history.
Even though Mahomes is in the middle of a 10-year, $450 million (£351m) contract, he's doing his bit to help the Chiefs sign players that will make their historic challenge easier. Mahomes' decision to restructure his contract to assist Kansas City is something Brady used to do with the New England Patriots.
During his 20 years with the Patriots, Brady often accepted less money with each contract to allow New England to continually build a strong team around him. For instance, Sports Illustrated worked out that from 2004-19, Brady earned $241 million (£188.4m), which works out to about $15 million (£11.73m) per year.
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When you compare Tom Brady's earnings to other top quarterbacks like Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers, it's clear that the seven-time Super Bowl champ earned less each year. From 2013-20, Stafford pocketed $188 million (£147 million), which works out at about $23.5 million (£18.4 million) per year.
Rodgers, on the other hand, earned even more than Stafford. Between 2009-22, he made just under $300 million (£235 million). But his yearly earnings were slightly less than Stafford's, at $21 million (£16.4 million).
Even though Brady didn't earn as much as Stafford or Rodgers, he more than made up for it with his success on the pitch. During his 20 years with the Patriots, Brady won six Super Bowls, was named Super Bowl MVP four times, and was a three-time regular season MVP, among many other awards.
After moving to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady raked in almost $100 million (£78 million) over three seasons. Despite the huge pay rise, Brady still managed to lead the Bucs to a Super Bowl victory in 2021, beating Mahomes and the Chiefs.
After winning Super Bowl LVIII, Mahomes shared his excitement about the chance to make the Chiefs the next big thing in NFL. He said: "And then I’m gonna do whatever I can to be back in this game next year and try to go for that three-peat."
He added: "So, it’s ongoing thing in the NFL, I think Tom [Brady] said it best – once you win that championship and you have those parades and you get those rings, you’re not the champion anymore.
"You have to come back with that same mentality, and I learned from guys like that, that have been the greatest of all time at the top of the level and so that's my mindset. I’m gonna celebrate with my guys because of how we’ve done this but then we’re gonna work our way to get back to this game next year."