Patrick Mahomes

AFC West Notes: Chiefs, Mahomes, Raiders, Broncos

June 11th, 2020 at 12:38pm CST by Zachary Links

Patrick Mahomes could be the NFL’s first $200MM player if he takes full advantage of his leverage, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com writes. However, Corry suggests that the Chiefs star should be less fixated on that figure and more focused on a similarly lucrative three-year extension. With a shorter deal, the quarterback could land an even bigger payday, thanks to the expected rise in revenue from the addition of a 17th regular season game.

There’s also been lots of chatter about a clause in the later years of Mahomes’ deal that would tie his contract to the salary cap as it escalates. It doesn’t seem out of the question for the NFL’s brightest star, but Corry isn’t sure if the Chiefs will be willing to set a radically new precedent in the game.

The salary cap percentage clause would be a game-changer, but I’d imagine that it’s in the realm of possibility for Mahomes, especially after Kirk Cousins secured a fully-guaranteed deal with the Vikings.

Here’s more from the AFC West:

Raiders newcomer Nick Kwiatkoski will play middle linebacker in the Raiders 4-3 scheme, according to Scott Bair of NBC Sports. Kwiatkoski played on the inside of the Bears’ 3-4 layout and defensive coordinator Paul Guenther believes that he can be the team’s field general at the position. Kwiatkoski – signed for three years thanks to his $21MM deal – will be joined by fellow free agent addition Cory Littleton.
Raiders rookie Lynn Bowden Jr. had his home searched by the DEA this week, but his agency says that the running back was not arrested or charged afterwards (via Tashan Reed of The Athletic). Barring league discipline, the Raiders plan to open the year with Bowden as one of their supporting tailbacks behind starter Josh Jacobs. Devontae Booker, Jalen Richard, and Rod Smith are also on hand. On the field, Bowden has impressed – he ran for nearly 1,500 yards at Kentucky last year with an eye-popping average of 7.9 yards per carry.
After the departure of safety Will Parks, Broncos defensive back Alijah Holder says he’s ready to step up for whatever role he’s assigned. “I’m a quick learner and wherever they put me, I’m going to learn the position,” Holder said (via Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post). “In dime, I feel I could take on that role. In practice last year, I played dime and nickel so I’m pretty familiar with most of the stuff. I really would love the chance to play dime if [defensive coordinator Vic Fangio] if goes that way.”

Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes Start Extension Talks

May 28th, 2020 at 12:44pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs have kicked off extension talks with Patrick Mahomes, according to Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). There’s little doubt that a deal will ultimately get done and, once finalized, it should position the quarterback as the highest-paid player in NFL history.

Mahomes has two years remaining on his original rookie deal, worth $2.794MM and $24.837MM, respectively. After that, the Chiefs would still have the option of using the franchise tag, but that’s a costly game. Instead, the Chiefs would rather pony up the big bucks to lock down one of the game’s brightest stars for years to come.

Some believe that Texans QB Deshaun Watson will ink an extension before Mahomes signs his own mega-deal. That scenario would suit Mahomes just fine, as Watson would provide a favorable comp that the Chiefs passer would easily top.

For a while, we were hearing that Mahomes’ next deal could break the $40MM per year barrier. But, lately, there’s been talk of Watson striking the $40MM-$42MM/year range, which could set Mahomes up for a truly unprecedented ask of around $50MM per season, on average. That doesn’t mean the Chiefs would give it to him, but it wouldn’t be totally out of the ballpark.

After leading the Chiefs to their first championship in 50 years, Mahomes can safely shoot for the moon. Meanwhile, his reps will be keeping a close eye on Watson’s talks, as well as Dak Prescott‘s negotiations with the Cowboys.

Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes Have Not Begun Negotiations

May 22nd, 2020 at 9:04am CST by Rory Parks

At some point, the Chiefs and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes are going to agree to a long-term extension that will make Mahomes the highest-paid player in NFL history. But while we heard back in February that the two sides could finalize something after the draft, negotiations have not yet gotten underway.

In a Facebook Live event with Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan yesterday, Kansas City chairman and CEO Clark Hunt spoke about contract discussions with the face of his franchise (story via Jelani Scott of NFL.com).

“The negotiations are something we’ll be getting into this summer,” Hunt said. “But what he has said and what we’ve said, both sides is, he wants to be a Kansas City Chief for life, and that’s our mentality as well. We want him to play his entire career in Kansas City, and that’s what we’re going to be shooting for.”

Hunt had indicated before this year’s Super Bowl that a Mahomes extension would not necessarily get done prior to the end of the 2020 season, but it appears that his timeline has been accelerated (it’s amazing what a Lombardi Trophy can do for someone’s goodwill). At the same time, it also makes sense from the team’s perspective to make sure that there will be a 2020 season before paying a player — even a player like Mahomes — tens of millions of dollars in upfront cash. Perhaps that’s why negotiations have been pushed back to the summer.

Mahomes was hampered a bit by a knee injury in 2019, so his regular season performance was not quite as otherworldly as it was in his MVP romp in 2018. But he was brilliant in the Chiefs’ title run, which culminated in Super Bowl MVP honors.

For his part, the 24-year-old sensation says he has no intentions of going anywhere. “I want to make sure I do [my next contract] the smart way and do it the right way, and so I don’t know exactly which way that is, yet,” Mahomes recently said. “I know that my people and the Chiefs’ people will talk about it, and will do it at the right time and for the betterment for the team. But I’m excited to be a Kansas City Chief for a very long time, and I know that’s going to be handled the right way because of the people the Kansas City Chiefs have in their organization

Seahawks, Browns Discussed Russell Wilson Trade In 2018

May 15th, 2020 at 8:54am CST by Rory Parks

In 2018, the Browns were armed with a very rare assortment of premium draft capital: the No. 1 and No. 4 overall picks. Ultimately, of course, they used those picks on quarterback Baker Mayfield and cornerback Denzel Ward, but they were reportedly involved in trade discussions that would have sent at least one of those selections to the Seahawks in exchange for superstar quarterback Russell Wilson.

In a recent appearance on the PFTOT podcast, Chris Simms says that Cleveland and Seattle discussed a trade wherein the Seahawks would have acquired the No. 1 overall pick from the Browns while sending their Super Bowl champion signal-caller to Ohio (story via Mike Florio of PFT). And according to Florio’s source, the discussion did indeed happen, though the source couched it as being more of a conceptual conversation.

These sorts of discussions certainly happen all the time, and they never really get anywhere because the teams involved have no real intention of trading their assets but simply want to exercise due diligence in case their prospective trading partner is willing to make an offer that’s impossible to turn down. But the fact that the Seahawks even considered trading Wilson is notable, especially given that he was only 29 at the time and had already established himself as one of the best QBs in the game.

As Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes, the ‘Hawks would not have traded Wilson for just the No. 1 pick; they would have demanded the No. 4 selection as well. Even that, however, seems like a small price to pay for a player of Wilson’s caliber, and one would think that the Browns would have pounced on the opportunity if it had truly presented itself.

At the time, Wilson and the Seahawks were in the midst of contract discussions that would culminate with Wilson becoming the highest-paid player in NFL history. And he has more than lived up to that deal thus far, posting back-to-back MVP-worthy seasons with an average QB rating of 108.6 and an average triple-slash of 3,779/33/6. He has added 718 rushing yards and three rushing scores for good measure, and he has yet to miss a game in his career.

Nonetheless, Florio’s sources do say that Wilson will be traded at some point in the relatively near future. By Wilson’s own admission, the inclusion of a no-trade clause in his current contract was instrumental in getting the deal done — perhaps because of the Cleveland discussions — but he could always waive it if he feels the time is right. Though a trade in the next several seasons would not be feasible because of the dead money charges it would leave on Seattle’s books, something could happen by 2022.

Indeed, Condotta notes that the Seahawks likely would have selected Patrick Mahomes if he had fallen to them in the 2017 draft, and GM John Schneider was also poking around Josh Allen the following offseason. In a couple of years, he may pull the trigger on a collegiate signal-caller and send Wilson elsewhere, difficult though that may be to fathom.

Deshaun Watson To Sign Extension Before Patrick Mahomes?

May 13th, 2020 at 10:03am CST by Rory Parks

We heard back in January that the Texans would try to sign QB Deshaun Watson to an extension this offseason, and indeed, the two sides are in the preliminary stages of contract discussions. And according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, some execs believe Watson will sign his new deal before Chiefs mega-star Patrick Mahomes signs his (Twitter link).

As both Watson and Mahomes were selected in the 2017 draft and have three years of service time under their belts, they are now eligible for extensions. The January report referenced above indicated that Watson wanted to sign his next contract after Mahomes so that he could try to trump it, but if what Fowler’s sources are saying is true, it seems as if the Texans are trying to prevent that from happening.

Per Fowler, Houston has more “urgency” to get something done with Watson, which makes sense if the team wants to avoid having to top a Mahomes deal. But it’s unclear if the Texans should really be worried about that. After all, as good as Watson is, Mahomes is otherworldly, so Watson’s desire to top a Mahomes deal and any Texans’ fears in that regard both seem a little misplaced. Plus, given that the salary cap may go down in the next several years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it would seem that the club has more bargaining power than it may have anticipated.

As it stands, it may make more sense for Mahomes’ camp to wait until his Houston counterpart puts pen to paper. Recent projections for Watson’s contract are in the $40MM-$42MM/year range, which exceeds the initial estimates on Mahomes’ deal. If Watson gets an extension of that size, it may not be too much of a stretch to see Mahomes push for $50MM per year, though the reigning Super Bowl MVP has previously indicated that he wants to keep the Chiefs’ core together.

One way or another, Watson and Mahomes aren’t going anywhere. But when the contracts will get done and how much they will be worth remain up in the air, and with Bill O’Brien involved in the Watson negotiations, those questions are tough to answer.

Chiefs To Pick Up Patrick Mahomes’ Fifth-Year Option

April 29th, 2020 at 6:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

In the least surprising development in the short history of the fifth-year option, the Chiefs will pick up Patrick Mahomes‘ 2021 option. Not that this was ever in doubt, but NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero confirms the team plans to do so as a placeholder while extension talks loom (video link).

Since the Chiefs traded from No. 27 to No. 10 in 2017, Mahomes changed the franchise’s fortunes. The 2018 MVP and Super Bowl LIV MVP led the Chiefs to their first title in 50 years and has them positioned as betting favorites to win Super Bowl LV.

As for a Mahomes extension, the expectation remains talks will ramp up at some point between now and the season. The latest coming out of Kansas City is a Chiefs hope to have Mahomes’ deal done before training camp, Pelissero adds (via Twitter).

Going into his age-25 season, the superstar passer can be expected to approach or surpass the $40MM-per-year barrier. This comes as Dak Prescott and Deshaun Watson are discussing extensions, which could further raise Mahomes’ price. Mahomes’ rookie contract calls for an $825K 2020 base salary, a setup that would seemingly drive negotiations.

Despite cost-cutting moves like the Sammy Watkins pay cut and the release of Dustin Colquitt, the Chiefs have barely $5MM in cap space and Chris Jones attached to a $16.1MM franchise tag. Some of the $5MM will be needed for Kansas City to sign its draft picks. The Chiefs continue to work on a Jones deal, which would help create 2020 cap space, even though they already have Frank Clark tied to a $20MM-plus-AAV contract.

AFC West Notes: Mahomes, Broncos, Raiders

March 6th, 2020 at 9:53pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Everyone has known for a while now that when Patrick Mahomes signs his first contract extension, it’s going to involve some eye-popping numbers. The Chiefs are expected to pursue an extension sometime after the draft, and there has been a lot of chatter about Mahomes becoming the first player to eclipse $40MM in annual salary. While he wouldn’t get into specifics about negotiations, Mahomes made it clear in a recent interview with Terez Paylor of Yahoo Sports that he’s in Kansas City for the long haul. “I want to make sure I do it the smart way and do it the right way, and so I don’t know exactly which way that is, yet. I know that my people and the Chiefs’ people will talk about it, and will do it at the right time and for the betterment for the team. But I’m excited to be a Kansas City Chief for a very long time, and I know that’s going to be handled the right way because of the people the Kansas City Chiefs have in their organization,” he explained.

There has been some speculation the Chiefs will try to get him on somewhat of a team-friendly deal in order to spread their cap resources around, similarly to what the Patriots have done with Tom Brady. Mahomes is going to get paid big-time either way, but he did seem to indicate that keeping their core together is a priority for him. “Whichever way possible, we’re going to do it and we’re gonna try to keep as many people on this team as we possibly can that won the Super Bowl this year so we can run it back again next year,” he said.

Here’s more from the AFC West:

Speaking of the Chiefs, they made a couple of assistant coaching moves today. Quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka has been given the additional title of passing game coordinator, and the team hired Andy Hill as a special teams assistant. The Eagles were interested in Kafka for their offensive coordinator vacancy, but Kansas City was ultimately able to retain him. All the way back in October we heard that Kafka was well-respected in the league and considered by some to be a future head coach. The former backup quarterback is the latest in a long line of Andy Reid assistants to get buzz.
The Broncos have a crowded backfield, but it’s about to get a little thinner. Both Devontae Booker and Theo Riddick will be allowed to walk in free agency, sources told Mike Klis of Denver 9 News (Twitter link). Booker was drafted by Denver in the fourth-round back in 2016, and had an up and down career with the team. He was the team’s starter for some of his rookie season, and he often played a big role on passing downs. At the same time, he was often relegated to the bench for extended stretches. 27 now, it’ll be interesting to see how his market develops. Riddick is another passing-downs specialist who signed with Denver this past summer after a productive six-year run with the Lions. He ended up missing the entire season with a shoulder injury, although Klis notes that he is healthy now and has been medically cleared. He’s 28 now, and will likely have a tough time finding much guaranteed money coming off the injury.
The Raiders are believed to be interested in signing linebacker Nick Vigil, sources told Adam Caplan of Sirius XM NFL Radio and Insidethebirds.com. Vigil, an impending free agent, spent the first four years of his career with the Bengals. He started all 16 games for Cincy this past season, racking up 111 tackles and five passes defended. Vigil will likely be seeking a decent-sized contract, and he should have a relatively strong market. Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther coached Vigil in Cincinnati, so there’s a lot of familiarity between the two sides.

Chiefs Targeting Post-Draft Patrick Mahomes Extension?

February 6th, 2020 at 6:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

After claiming their first Super Bowl championship in 50 years, the Chiefs now have one of modern sports’ most important contracts to complete. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are expected to negotiate a new deal this offseason, although Clark Hunt indicated a new deal is not necessarily a lock for 2020.

The Chiefs and Mahomes are not expected to finalize anything until after the draft, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (video link). This contract will certainly make the reigning Super Bowl MVP the NFL’s highest-paid player, but the 24-year-old superstar is also cognizant of the contract’s impact on the Chiefs’ roster, per Pelissero. Following Super Bowl LIV, Mahomes said he would like to stay in Kansas City for a long time.

Kansas City has some key issues to address, in addition to Mahomes’ market-shifting deal. Chris Jones is a free agent and is a logical candidate for the franchise tag. Travis Kelce has outplayed his $9.4MM-per-year pact and may soon see George Kittle reset the stagnant tight end market. And Sammy Watkins is set to carry an untenable $21MM 2020 cap number.

A new collective bargaining agreement being finalized before the new league year begins in March also represents a key component to the Chiefs’ Mahomes negotiations. Of course, the longer the organization waits, the more the price will rise. Mahomes is set to make just $735K in base salary next season. It seems unlikely the 2018 MVP would return under those terms, even if the Chiefs have him under team control through 2021.

The Eagles and Rams extended their 2016 first-round quarterbacks after their third seasons, though the Cowboys remain in talks with Dak Prescott. Mahomes’ new deal should either approach or surpass $40MM AAV, which would then have a sweeping effect on how future quarterback negotiations unfold and reshape how future Chiefs rosters are constructed.

Chiefs Notes: Super Bowl, Mahomes, Reid

February 3rd, 2020 at 9:24am CST by Zachary Links

For the first time in 50 years, the Chiefs are champs. And, after their thrilling come-from-behind victory, many say the Chiefs won’t have to wait nearly as long for their next Super Bowl trophy.

“Two, three, four – we’re going to build a dynasty here,” defensive tackle Chris Jones said last night (via Nancy Armour of USA Today). “To see that confetti fall – but this ain’t the only time. Kansas City, we’re fixing to build something special here.”

“The dynasty is just starting,” tight end Travis Kelce declared. “We’re motivated to do it again. For sure.”

Building a dynasty in the NFL is easier said than done, but the Chiefs are loaded with talent (especially on offense) and have their core players all signed for the foreseeable future. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype, but it’s also hard to dismiss the possibility that we could be witnessing the start of a dominant run for Kansas City.

Here’s more on the champs:

After winning the biggest prize in football, Patrick Mahomes reiterated his desire to stay with the Chiefs. “That’s stuff that’s handled with other people,” Mahomes said. “Obviously, I want to be in Kansas City a long time. I want to win a lot of football games.” The Chiefs, obviously, want to lock Mahomes down for years to come, but they don’t necessarily have to hammer out an extension this offseason. Mahomes still has one more year to go on his rookie deal – after that, the Chiefs can use the fifth-year option to hold him through 2021. When the deal finally happens, Mahomes could become the league’s first $200MM+ player with average yearly salaries in excess of $40MM/year.
Head coach Andy Reid, who secured his first Super Bowl trophy at the age of 61, isn’t thinking about retiring anytime soon. “I’ve got this young quarterback over here that makes life easy,” said Reid, in reference to Mahomes. Thanks to the extension he signed a few years back, the Chiefs have Reid under contract through the 2021 season.
Before the Super Bowl, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy confirmed that he is still eyeing a head coaching job. Given what he’s helped to build in KC, his big break can’t be far off.

Chiefs Owner On Patrick Mahomes Talks

January 28th, 2020 at 2:54pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs, obviously, intend to lock up Patrick Mahomes for the long haul. It’s just a matter of how much it’ll cost – and when. On Tuesday, owner Clark Hunt indicated that the Chiefs could wait until next year to ink Mahomes to an extension.

“There will be a right time sometime in the next 12 to 15 months to extend Patrick, and when I say right time, I mean right time for both the player and the club,” Hunt said as the Chiefs prepare to face the 49ers in Sunday’s Super Bowl. “I don’t want to say necessarily it has to be this offseason, but I will say that it’s a priority to get him done. I hope Patrick is here for his entire career, and that’s going to be our goal.’‘

With his third pro season in the rear view mirror, the 2017 first-round pick is eligible for a brand new deal. The Chiefs, meanwhile, can wait things out a bit. He still has one more year to go on his base four-year rookie pact and the Chiefs can tack on another year via his fifth-year option for 2021.

When the two sides eventually reach an accord, Mahomes could become the NFL’s first ever $200MM+ player with an average annual value of $40MM or more. Those would be unprecedented numbers, but the same could be said for the QB’s stat line. In 2019, Mahomes logged 4,031 passing yards with 26 touchdowns and only five interceptions.

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