When the Kansas City Chiefs got crowned NFL champions in February, their quarterback Patrick Mahomes pointed out that he reached the recognition of the MVP of the Super Bowl thanks to the support of the team.
The Chiefs became NFL champions after 50 years as they defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Miami by a 31-20. The Most Valuable Player award in the Super Bowl went into Mahomes’ hands. Although he’s only 24 years old, this is his second MVP award, since he was the best player of the regular season last year. This way, he became the youngest player ever to unite these two awards.
Despite his obvious greatness, Mahomes showed how much he appreciated the help of his teammates in becoming the best player of the Super Bowl held in Florida’s most prominent city. In his numerous post-season interviews, he stressed that the team held merit for everything but he also praised the persistence of the head coach Andy Reid who, according to Mahomes’ words, was constantly keeping the players’ spirit on a high level, never letting them give up.
A Tweet That Marked the Beginning of the Story About Mahomes…
Mahomes also reminded fans of his tweet from 2013, when he was still in high school but already showing enormous potential in three sports (football, baseball, and basketball) which resulted in high school Male Athlete of the Year award, in which he wrote: “I bet it feels amazing to be the quarterback who says ‘I’m going to Disney World’ after winning the Super Bowl.” So,he was able to fulfill his wish after doing so in Miami. He proudly said: “I’m going to Disneyland”.
A brief reminder: The decisive moment of the final game against the 49ers happened in the middle of the last quarter when Mahomes threw a 45-yard pass on the third attempt for 15 yards towards Tyreek Hill, followed by a touchdown for 20-17, which marked a turnaround.
Mahomes picked up 286 yards in the final and rushed total to 29 yards, threw two touchdown passes, had one himself, and made two interceptions.
The Chiefs management was aware they need to take action in order to make sure not to wait for several decades again to put the Super Bowl trophy in the showcase. So, they smashed record not just in the NFL, but in all of the professional sports by signing a $450m contract extension with Mahomes.
What Is It That Makes Mahomes’ New Contract With the Chiefs Historic?
In terms of salary and the length of the agreement, it’s a historical agreement: it’s intended to last a whole decade, will officially begin in 2022, and see Mahomes earning an average of $45m per year. The deal can even go up to $503m in total with various bonuses such as for Super Bowl appearances and MVP awards.
Mahomes’ new contract signature is just the second NFL contract of 10+ years ever. Michael Vick’s 10-year deal worth $130m, which he penned with the Atlanta Falcons in 2005, tops the length of a player’s commitment to a club in the league.
As a matter of fact, Mahomes’ contract is just the third contract in NFL history to last more than six years. Matt Ryan’s 2018 extension with the Atlanta Falcons holds the previous record for the league’s biggest contract: $150m spread over five years.
As a comparison, the Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson signed a four-year deal last year, a $140m extension, representing the largest average annual salary in NFL history.
Still, all the above-mentioned contracts are now outshone by the glorious new deal signed by Mahomes, certainly the biggest favorite to be named league MVP in the upcoming season but also in seasons after that. His age and unrevealed potential work for him, that’s for sure.
Nevertheless, Mahomes will have to train hard to remain the MVP candidate in the near future given there are numerous young quarterbacks who are hungry to win Super Bowl and, which is more important, who have the quality to lead their respective teams to such an achievement: Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson, Kyler Murray, Carson Wentz, Jared Goff…
