Patrick Mahomes: I care about legacy, winning rings more than money

Who’s the best player in the NFL today? There’s really only one answer. It’s Patrick Mahomes.

Fresh off winning his second Super Bowl trophy, which also included his second MVP award for the big game, Mahomes also took home league MVP honors for the second time since he became a starter back in 2018. Two rings in five years is already an incredible feat, but Mahomes is just 27 years old. He has a long career ahead of him.

Still, when a player is widely regarded as the very best in the game, one would think the athlete would also be the highest-paid player in the sport. Only now for Mahomes, that isn’t the case.

He’s close. Mahomes ranks seventh among all NFL players in annual average salary, raking in $45 million per season. Yet, amazingly six other quarterbacks are ahead of him. And more are on the way, with Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert likely to sign new, record-setting contracts in the next few weeks.

But Mahomes really doesn’t care about being recognized as the NFL’s biggest earner. He has much bigger ambitions that could lead to more money down the line after his playing days are done.

“Me, my agent, and the team always keep open communication. We try to do whatever is the best for the team. But, obviously, I want to do what’s best for myself as well. But at the same time, I’ve always said, I worry about legacy and winning rings more than making money at this moment.
Patrick Mahomes on his priorities

Mahomes has a great mindset, focused on the team and the winning aspect of football instead of his individual needs. Plus, we can’t act like Mahomes isn’t still compensated extremely well. He did still sign a ten-year, $450 million contract, with $141 million of that amount fully guaranteed. That’s more money than most of the world will make in their lifetime.