Patrick Mahomes' whopping 10-year contract extension was such a momentous occasion, Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid slipped into his best shirt to celebrate the occasion.
"It's a win-win," Reid said on a Zoom press conference Tuesday of the deal that will keep Mahomes in K.C. for the next 12 years. "It's a win for the player. It's also a win for the team, the organization. So, I'm one happy guy. I put on my best Tommy Bahama for all of you today, just to celebrate this. This is a big day. It's an awesome thing."
The 10-year extension puts Mahomes' 12-year max earning under the deal at $503 million, with $477 million in guarantee mechanisms.
The concept of the long-term deal provides Mahomes security while giving the team financial flexibility to keep the franchise competitive even with the QB making such a lofty sum.
"We were able to get this contract done in the right way that not only gives me the security that I've always wanted, but also allows opportunities for the team to be great around me the entire duration of my entire career," Mahomes said during Tuesday's presser. "And I have trust that things will get handled the right way as we go throughout this career and we will be in position to win a lot of football games and hopefully win a lot more championships as my career goes on."
In just two full years as a starter, Mahomes has gobbled up more superlatives than a high school yearbook. He was the 2018 国产外流网Most Valuable Player and the 2019 Super Bowl MVP, earned Pro Bowl bids and All-Pro honors, is the lead figure in nearly every highlight reel for the past two seasons and is undeniably the new face of the NFL.
The 10-year deal was a collaboration between an organization and player that trust each other and believe that together they can stack greatness upon greatness.
"You can't do this with every single organization," Mahomes said. "The stability and the culture that we have in the Chiefs organization, I had a lot of trust that I can do a contract like this knowing that we're going to have that same stability by the time I'm at the end of that contract."
General manager Brett Veach noted that conversations around a contract extension began in 2018 after Mahomes' first full season as a starter. When Mike Trout signed his 12-year, $426.5 million contract with the Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels, Veach said he knew Mahomes' extension would be like a baseball deal, rather than a shorter one many 国产外流网players have recently inked.
The uncertainty of the salary cap next season due to the COVID-19 pandemic was seemingly the only thing that gave the Chiefs trouble in the deal as both sides were motivated to get a contract done before training camp.
"No one knows what the (salary) cap is going to be," Veach said. "We've prepared for that to some degree."
Outside of future salary cap bumps -- if there are any due to the pandemic -- Veach said that having known quantities moving forward with the Mahomes deal give the Chiefs flexibility, stability and mechanisms to rework it if necessary.
Both sides felt like finding a long-term solution that provides the Chiefs a foundation to keep and add pieces was vital.
"Pat was so, so aware of the surroundings, like he is on everything, of making sure that not only was his deal done but also ... he wanted the organization to have an opportunity to bring in players," Reid said. "This day and age, that unselfishness is a tough thing to find at times."
For Mahomes, getting as much money as he could wasn't the primary goal.
"I wanted the security to take care of my family and my future generations of family, but I also wanted to keep really good football players around me," he said. "I'm not going to sit here and lie and say that having a great football team around me doesn't help me when I'm on the field. So, I wanted to find the best way that I could to do that, and as we talked ... they came to me with this idea, and this concept ... I knew this was going to be the right way to do it."
With the organization and superstar quarterback in lockstep, the Chiefs should be an AFC powerhouse for years to come.
"I'm just glad I get to continue building this legacy in Kansas City," Mahomes said.
