It is not a secret that elite-level sportsmen and women command massive salaries. Their superhuman-like skills can instantly influence a game’s outcome, resulting in success on and off the field. National Football League (NFL) teams are infamous for paying top dollar to key personnel. Nobody in the NFL earns more than the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes has been a professional American football player for seven seasons, and pundits consider him one of the greatest quarterbacks to have ever stepped onto a football field. The 28-year-old has already won the Super Bowl three times and has been crowned the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP) on each of those three occasions.
Mahomes’ ability to almost single-handedly win games for the Kansas City Chiefs and cause the Everygame online sportsbook to alter its odds whenever he plays resulted in the Chiefs tying Mahomes to a mega contract.
Patrick Mahomes’ Early Life
Mahomes was born on September 17, 1995, in Tyler, Texas. He comes from a sporting family, with his father, Pat Mahomes, being a former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. The sports-loving Mahomes played baseball, basketball, and football during high school and excelled in all three.
The NFL almost missed out on having Mahomes compete in its competition because he was such a good baseball player. The Detroit Tigers selected Mahomes during the 2014 MLB Draft, but he never signed a contract. Instead, he remained at Texas Tech and switched his attention to developing his football skills.
Mahomes played 32 games at quarterback for Texas Tech over three years, racking up 11,252 passing yards and 93 touchdowns.
Patrick Mahomes’ Professional Football Career
The Kansas City Chiefs selected Mahomes as the tenth overall pick in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, tying him to a four-year contract worth $16.42 million, including a $10.08 million signing bonus. Mahomes only played once during his rookie season, with the Chiefs opting to remain loyal to Alex Smith. He made his debut in Week 17 against the Denver Broncos.
Smith was traded to the then-Washington Redskins during the offseason, elevating Mahomes to starting quarterback. Mahomes grabbed his opportunity with both hands, throwing 5,097 passing yards and 50 touchdowns as the Chiefs finished with a 12-4 record.
Although the Chiefs failed to reach the Super Bowl, Mahomes won the NFL MVP award, the first winner for the Chiefs in franchise history.
The 2019 NFL season is one Mahomes will remember for the rest of his life. While his statistics did not live up to his 2018 figures, they were still impressive and ultimately resulted in the Chiefs becoming the Super Bowl champions for the second time in their history.
Mahomes was instrumental in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl-winning campaign and was keen to secure his services in the long term.
During the offseason, on June 6, 2020, Mahomes put pen to paper on a ten-year extension worth a staggering $503 million! The contract is the largest-ever in the NFL and the fourth richest in sporting history, trailing only baseball’s Shohei Ohtani ($700 million) and soccer’s Lionel Messi ($674 million) and Cristiano Ronaldo ($536.3 million).
Patrick Mahomes’ Path to Greatness
Nobody would have been surprised if Mahomes took his foot off the gas, having secured generational wealth. Still, Mahomes is a born winner who had zero intention of sitting back and enjoying life’s luxuries.
In 2020, with his mega contract behind him, Mahomes guided the Chiefs to back-to-back Super Bowls. However, he finished on the losing team after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ran out 31-9 victors.
The Chiefs fell at the final hurdle in 2021 but returned to the Super Bowl again in 2022, facing the much-fancied Philadelphia Eagles. Mahomes pulled out all the stops as the Chief won 38-35, earning him his second Super Bowl championship ring and his second Super Bowl MVP award.
Mahomes’ Chiefs struggled during the 2023 campaign yet progressed to the Super Bowl again. The San Francisco 49ers looked set to spoil the Chiefs’ party, but Mahomes was incredible during the game’s dying moments, forcing the game into overtime; it was only the second Super Bowl game to go to overtime.
Of course, Mahomes shone during overtime and emerged victoriously once again as the Chiefs because the first franchise since the New England Patriots 19 years earlier to capture back-to-back Super Bowl titles.
Patrick Mahomes’ Personal Life
Mahomes proposed to his high school sweetheart, Brittany Matthews, when he collected his first Super Bowl championship ring in September 2020. The couple married in March 2022 and now have two children: a daughter (Sterling Skye) and a son (Patrick “Bronze” Lavon Mahomes III).
Mahomes is an evangelical Christian whose pre-game routine consists of praying in the opposition’s endzone. In February 2020, Mahomes explained his faith during an interview with Sports Spectrum.
“Faith is huge for me. Before every game, I walk the field and pray at the goalpost. I thank God for those opportunities and for letting me be on a stage where I can glorify Him. The biggest thing that I pray for is that whatever happens, win or lose, success or failure, I’m glorifying Him.”
Mahomes has never forgotten his roots despite achieving superstar status. His family and close friends regularly attend Chiefs’ games at Mahomes’ expense. Mahomes and his wife established the 15 and the Mahomes Foundation – 15 being his uniform number – a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children.
What Next For Patrick Mahomes?
As viewers of the Quarterback Netflix documentary can attest, Mahomes keeps himself in prime physical and mental condition.
He is only 28 years old, so he could continue playing for another decade. If Mahomes can avoid severe injuries and the Chiefs continue winning, Mahomes has every chance of breaking every NFL quarterback record.
Tom Brady holds most of the NFL records for a quarterback, including seven Super Bowl titles. Brady is destined to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as is Mahomes if he continues his upward trajectory in the NFL.
