Chiefs G.M. Brett Veach recently said that, after Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert do new deals, the Chiefs will take another look at the contract signed three NFL seasons.
They frankly shouldn’t have to wait that long.
The Mahomes deal was grossly team-friendly from the get go. Someone apparently wanted to be able to claim that Mahomes had signed the first half-billion-dollar deal in league history. To get there, other things were sacrificed.
Specifically, early-year cash flow was sacrificed.
With the Jalen Hurts contract signed and finalized, and with the numbers now available to be scrutinized, the major quarterback contracts can be compared as to one of the key factors for evaluating contracts — the amount of money actually paid to the player in the first three years of the contract.
Per a source with knowledge of the numbers, here’s the three-year cash flow for the current high-end quarterback deals:
1. Aaron Rodgers: $150.8 million.
2. Deshaun Watson: $138 million.
3. Dak Prescott: $126 million.
4. Matthew Stafford: $120 million.
5. Russell Wilson: $119 million.
6. Daniel Jones: $112.5 million.
7. Kyler Murray: $107.8 million.
8. Jalen Hurts: $106.3 million.
9. Josh Allen: $92.3 million.
10. Patrick Mahomes: $63 million.
Take a look at those numbers. Look at the names. With all due respect to the others, Mahomes should be at the very top of the list.
Whatever Burrow or Herbert will get doesn’t change that. It’ll only make it more conspicuous, because it likely will drop Mahomes to No. 12. If/when Lamar Jackson gets a deal with the Ravens, Mahomes will fall to No. 13.
Yes, Mahomes has every right to take whatever contract he wants. And, yes, he continues to have a great team around him, given the money he’s not taking. But to be tenth out of 10 and likely on his way to No. 12 or No. 13 of 12 or 13 on the list of quarterback cash flow, the Chiefs probably should fix this, regardless of whether Mahomes is banging on anyone’s…
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