The Chiefs locked up their star quarterback today in an unprecedented move. Extending Mahomes with a 10 year deal worth about $503 million, the Chiefs have ensured that the heart and soul of their franchise will most likely retire with them and he will keep them contending for Super Bowls for the next decade.
This deal begs the question: what does this mean for the NFL as a whole?
The game is all fucked up now:
For years the quarterback free agent carousel always ended with the latest guy getting a record setting deal. It didn’t matter who you were. You could either be Aaron Rodgers or Andy Dalton, if you were a starting quarterback in the NFL and your resigned, you were breaking the previous guys record. That’s all over now. No team is going to ever want to match this deal, but that doesn’t mean their future free agent quarterbacks won’t try to make them. This is going to cause a lot of drama in the coming years. Guys like Deshaun Watson, Lamar Jackson, and even Dak Prescott, are going to face free agency in the coming years and if you don’t think they will want close to the same type of deal, you’re out of your mind.
Mahomes is the new King:
This deal solidifies Mahomes status as the best player in the NFL regardless of what his stats say. He is one of the most talented players we have ever seen and can certainly handle the pressure that comes with the new deal, but that pressure is now immense. If he has even a down couple of weeks NFL fans will throw him under the bus quicker than Mahomes agent is taking the his 10% of this deal. Mahomes will have to handle all of this but most of all he must produce for Kansas City. Any less than another 3 to 4 Super Bowls in this 12 year span (there are 2 years left on his current deal. The new deal doesn’t kick in until 2022) will be considered an overall failure.
Player salaries will only go up:
The pandemic is hitting everyone hard. Including sports franchises. The owners will of course be fine, but the teams themselves are set to lose millions of dollars without fans being able to attend games. That being said, this deal was done while the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging on in the sunbelt and certain parts of the south. So it begs the question; how high will salaries in the NFL go now? This deal has just moved the goal post for all contracts moving forward. For quarterbacks of course, but it will also leak into every other position. What is a star $500 million quarterback with out his super star left guard? And what good is an elite offense I’m without defensive stars on the other side to seal the deal in the playoffs? This deal has opened the door for countless contract scenarios to play out in a very stressful fashion for both sides.