Tom Brady may no longer be in the NFL, but the league has another great quarterback destined to make history in Patrick Mahomes. At 27, the Kansas City Chiefs superstar has already proven to be special.
With two Super Bowl rings and two MVP awards under his belt, among other accolades, the Texas Tech product has plenty of time to cement one of the greatest legacies in football history.
But for some reason, Mahomes is not the highest-paid signal-caller in the league. Even though he probably deserves to make more than any other player, the Chiefs star explained the reason he doesn’t care about it has to do with how Brady approached this subject.
Patrick Mahomes following Tom Brady’s approach for his Chiefs contract
“I’ve looked at Tom’s model and how he did it,” Mahomes told Sports Illustrated. “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.
“It’s all about having open conversation with [GM] Brett Veach, Coach Reid, [owner] Clark Hunt, and just knowing where that happy medium is. 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.”
Despite being the most successful player in the league, Brady never pursued the highest deal in the NFL and neither does Mahomes. Other quarterbacks may be making more than him, but what the Chiefs star cares about is to have a fair compensation that also lets the team afford other expensive contracts.
