Why Did Patrick Mahomes Sacrifice 10s of Millions for the Chiefs? Tom Pelissero Reveals QB’s Alternate Revenue Streams

What the Kansas City Chiefs did with Patrick Mahomes’ contract in the 2020 off-season is still paying off to this day. Mahomes inked a 10-year $450 million extension in 2020 off-season and his contract is among one of the most complicated ones in the league. But keeping aside the complications, that extension gave enough room to the Chiefs to keep other players well-fed.

This off-season, the team made several changes to their roster, signing new players, re-signing some of their consistent ones, and even letting some go to create more cap space. This was possible because of Mahomes’ highly flexible contract, partially responsible for so many Super Bowl wins due to the core team availability it kept for the Chiefs. But there’s something else that keeps Mahomes from losing money despite sacrificing so much for the team. Tom Pelissero’s words gave a better idea of the Chiefs’ tactical decisions.

The Patrick Mahomes contract came in a clutch!

Rich Eisen hit the nail when he asked Tom Pelissero about the best quarterback bargain in the game. The NFL analyst tried to simplify it for him, and some interesting things came to the surface. Per the analyst, Mahomes has a $60 million spread over three years which allows the team to make room for other Chiefs players. He also compared it to Kirk Cousins’ contract, which will give him $67 million this year alone, but for Mahomes, this has been the case from the year of the Pandemic itself.

All of this has allowed the QB and his team to flourish, which in turn got him 3 Super Bowls and a lot of success off the field. Pelissero revealed the things Mahomes sacrificed in the process and mentioned how his popularity has scored him on TV commercials and sponsorships. “For Mahomes, the focus was how do I keep the team together which absent the Tyreek Hill trade they more or less have done through the course time bringing back Chris Jones bringing back Travis Kelce,” said Pelissero.

He then added, “And it was also I want to win a lot of championship sh which then is going to open up all kinds of other revenue-driving types of opportunities for him. So at this point, Mahomes has won several Super Bowls, he’s won MVPs he’s in literally I think every commercial on TV and he has ascended beyond that.”

However, Mahomes can afford to lose money in this case because it keeps players like Chris Jones and Travis Kelce around. Kelce and Jones have been instrumental in the QB’s success throughout the years. Jones, in his 123 games for the KC team, has contributed with 188 solo tackles, and 75.5 sacks, being a backbone and leader of the defense. Kelce on the other hand, securing the highest TE deal, is a nine-time Pro Bowler and a seven-time All-Pro star, exuding his dominance in the league.

Secondly, Mahomes has a lot of deals, sponsorships, and TV commercials to give him that extra boost in terms of revenue. He has a deal with companies like Adidas, Head & Shoulders, Oakley, State Farm, etc, allowing him to compensate for the financial sacrifices he makes for the Chiefs. His ownership of KC Current and part-ownership of KC Royals also play a role in securing his net worth at a stable level.

But how exactly did the Chiefs achieve this feat? What exactly were the changes they made to keep everyone afloat?

How Mahomes’ contract helped the Chiefs this year

When the league year kicked in this March, the Chiefs decided to convert Mahomes’ roster bonus into a signing bonus. This move created about $21.6 million in cap space so the team can accommodate the others. The Chiefs at one point were $5.65 million above the cap space even after giving Chris Jones a 5-year, $158.75 million deal with $60 million in guarantees.

The Chiefs have been manipulating Mahomes contract for a while now to adjust for other players. This also helps with keeping the core players around and keeping everything smooth. To take that further, the team let go of the CB L’Jarius Sneed which helped them with an additional $19.8 million in cap space. Though the team converted $27 million in QB contract, it worked out for the better of the team because now they have talent around Mahomes to keep him going.

To name a few other changes, Travis Kelce also got a two-year, $35.25 million extension this year along with Andy Reid, Brett Veach, and Mark Donovan securing honorable deals themselves.