"You don't want to be a guy that takes up all the money and all of a sudden you're having to find guys that will take cheaper deals"
Wednesday 8 July 2020 09:52, UK
Patrick Mahomes sought not only job security with his record-breaking contract extension, but also reassurance over the Kansas City Chiefs' ability to continue rewarding his team-mates.
The Super Bowl-winning quarterback agreed a new 10-year deal worth up to $503m on Monday, surpassing Los Angeles Angels baseball player Mike Trout as the highest paid athlete in sport.
A 'baseball-style' contract warranted advice from Mahomes' father Patrick Mahomes Sr and godfather LaTroy Hawkins, both of whom played Major League Baseball.
"Being able to talk to my dad about it and being able to talk to LaTroy about it, they didn't sign that long-term contract but they saw players that did and how they went about it and got that long-term security," Mahomes said.
"You can't do this with every single organisation. With the stability we have in the Chiefs organisation I felt very comfortable that I could do a contract like this knowing that we were going to have that same stability by the time we got to the end of that contract."
The enormity of the extension naturally invited questions over the Chiefs' financial position when it came to supporting Mahomes with key pieces elsewhere on the field in the future.
A team-friendly deal was evidently high on the agendas of both Mahomes and the organisation.
"I think the biggest thing they [his dad and LaTroy] preached to me was that you want to have good players around you," he added.
"You don't want to be a guy that takes up all the money and all of a sudden you're having to find guys that will take cheaper deals.
"Those guys need to be rewarded as well. It's not about one person and I truly believe that. I know the situation I was brought into and how good a situation it was where I had to sit a year behind a great quarterback and then play with great players.
"I have a bigger perspective of how to go out there and get the security I want but at the same time reward the guys that have helped me be the player I am and I feel like with the contract and how it was done I thought I got both of those things."
Mahomes was guaranteed $63m at signing, is due to have $103.5m guaranteed by March 2021 and $141.4m guaranteed by March 2022.
His cap hit will be at its highest in 2027 when he is set to equate to $59.95m against the team's salary cap.
Head coach Andy Reid said: "I will tell you Pat was very conscious about the whole situation about being able to keep players. That was in the dialogue there and he made it known to us.
"(CEO) Clark Hunt, who is brilliant, he's got a phenomenal mind in particular with business, so he also was able to oversee this and put in whatever input he had on it.
"He's more aware of the Covid situation than anybody being the owner of the football team. He felt comfortable with it when it was all said and done that we would be able to go forward and still be able to sign players even if the cap does decrease a little bit."
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