Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback and player in the NFL, but his contract no longer makes him the League's highest-paid player. That honor belongs to the opposing quarterback he faced in Super Bowl LVII: Jalen Hurts.
Hurts landed a massive five-year contract extension this offseason that's worth $255 million. Funny enough, the record-breaking deal will likely be broken before the 2023 NFL campaign begins.
Guys like Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert are in line for huge paydays. So where does that leave Mahomes? The belief is the Chiefs will continue rewarding their franchise quarterback by upping his current monetary deal.
However, it doesn't sound like Mahomes is pressuring the AFC West franchise to do so. In an interview on Wednesday, Mahomes told reporters that he's far more concerned with his legacy as it relates to Super Bowl rings than he is about being the NFL's highest-paid player. In other words, he's not going to put his pride and ego before the needs of the team.
"I worry about (my) legacy & winning rings than making money at this point," Mahomes said, via Nate Taylor. "I'll never do anything that'll hurt this team. You want to keep the bar pushing. It's not about being the highest-paid guy."
This is the kind of answer you want to see a franchise quarterback make. There's a reason Mahomes has led the Chiefs to two Super Bowl titles and will likely win several more throughout his NFL career.
Kansas City enters the 2023-24 season as one of the favorites to win it all. The Chiefs will always be in the hunt as long as Mahomes stays healthy.
Mahomes, meanwhile, will be playing on his 10-year, $450-million deal unless he and the Chiefs strike up a new contract.