Mahomes: ‘Never been about money’
Chiefs’ humble QB all about building dynasty
Patrick Mahomes risked everything when he opted for football over baseball.
Turns out, he got baseball money anyway.
One day after the former two-sport star got a 10-year deal worth up to $503 million, the richest contract in American sports history, the reigning Super Bowl MVP repeatedly insisted this deal was about more than money. He wants to be the cornerstone of a dynasty in Kansas City.
“That’s how I’ve always been built — to follow my passions and do things to the best of my ability,” the Chiefs quarterback said Tuesday on a Zoom call. “It’s never been about money for me. I’m glad we have this done and I can go out and be the same player that I was and the same person that I was.”
The Chiefs are banking on it.
They rewarded the 24-year-old Mahomes with $477 million in guarantee mechanisms, a no-trade clause and opt-out clauses if he doesn’t hit those guarantees — clauses more commonly associated with baseball contracts than football deals.
But almost from the moment Kansas City traded up to select the Texas Tech star with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2017 draft, the front office had been mapping out a strategy to keep Mahomes.
“Going back to the first free agency I was part of in 2018, we had the idea of structuring deals with Pat in mind,” general manager Brett Veach said.
“The one thing, as Pat’s success kept going on, the numbers kept bigger and bigger. So it took off and that was a good challenge to have. But I remember when this first came out, (director of football administration) Brandt (Tilis) came to me and said, ‘Pat’s going to be a baseball contract, he’s that good.’ ”
He certainly has been the past two seasons.
His strong arm, fleet feet and uncanny ability to accurately throw from different angles already have made him into one of the league’s big stars. His humble, charming personality has resonated with fans and teammates alike, and the resume is starting to fill up, too.
After throwing only 35 passes as a rookie, Mahomes broke virtually every single-season franchise passing record in 2018 when he was the league’s MVP, the Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year and led the Chiefs to their first AFC championship game in a quarter century.
Then, despite missing two games with a dislocated right kneecap last season, Mahomes closed the regular season with six straight wins and capped the season by rallying Kansas City with two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to give the Chiefs their first Super Bowl title in 50 years.