Even if you’re not a big NFL fan, you likely heard about the Kansas City Chiefs—and their star players—last season. Of course, Travis Kelce dating Taylor Swift made all the headlines, but Patrick Mahomes had plenty of publicity through endorsements with State Farm, Head and Shoulders, and more.
And that’s just the off-the-field action. Despite a “disappointing” 11-6 regular season, the Chiefs stormed through the playoffs and reached another Super Bowl. When all was said and done, Kansas City was hoisting up its second consecutive Lombardi Trophy, and Mahomes was winning Super Bowl MVP.
Mahomes is one of just five quarterbacks in NFL history to win three Super Bowls, and he’s won Super Bowl MVP during each of those victories. Yet, among current NFL quarterbacks, Mahomes doesn’t even have a top-ten salary.
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Thanks to a swath of new deals across the league, Mahomes is now tied for 11th with Atlanta’s Kirk Cousins in average annual salary. They’re both making $45 million per year.
Cousins and every quarterback ahead of Mahomes on the list have won a combined total of zero Super Bowls. Only three of them have even reached the big game: Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, Detroit’s Jared Goff, and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts.
Here’s the full list of the top 12 quarterbacks in average annual salary, with Cousins and Mahomes at the bottom of the list:
- Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers: $55 million
- Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars: $55 million
- Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: $55 million
- Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins: $53.1 million
- Jared Goff, Detroit Lions: $53 million
- Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: $52.5 million
- Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: $52 million
- Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: $51 million
- Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals: $46.1 million
- Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns: $46 million
- Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons: $45 million
- Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs $45 million
Mahomes signed his extension in 2020. At $450 million, it’s still the largest deal the NFL has ever seen in terms of total money. Mahomes is getting $45 million over ten seasons, with the contract set to end in 2031.
By that point, Mahomes will be 35 years old. Several quarterbacks have performed at high levels in their mid-30s and beyond. NFL salaries will likely continue to increase over the next half-decade, too. Mahomes could easily earn another contract worth well over nine figures.
For now, he’ll have to be content with his three Super Bowls and Super Bowl MVP awards instead of being the highest-paid player in the league. Something tells us he’ll be just fine with that.
