With Patrick Mahomes at the helm, the Chiefs successfully defended their title and secured their second consecutive Super Bowl, breaking the drought since the Patriots’ 2003 and ’04. The two-time MVP’s vision is now to achieve a three-peat, the first in league history. And for this to actually happen, the star QB didn’t shy away from agreeing to a restructure of his contract and freeing up millions in cap space.
During his recent chat with Sports Center on ESPN, with CPKC Stadium as the backdrop, Patrick Mahomes pleasantly declared his happiness about the $95 million updated deal for Chris Jones. When asked about the star DT’s homecoming, Mahomes happily reinforced Jones’ significance, who, in the star QB’s own words, initially helped build the culture.
Mahomes said, “Yeah, it’s always great when you get to keep the great ones in Kansas City and we wanted Chris.” He also shed light on why Chris Jones deserved a contract with the fourth-highest guaranteed money by noting,
“I mean, Chris has been a staple for this team just as much as any of us, and he was here before us. He helped before me and helped build the culture,” followed by, “To get Chris back and then to add Hollywood…Kansas City we’re going to be trying to keep staying the city of Champions.”
However, Patrick Mahomes’ happiness was not confined to Jones’ return, as he mentioned the addition of Marquis ‘Hollywood’ Brown to the Chiefs clan. Marquis Brown, the former Cardinals wide receiver, signed a one-year deal worth $11 million with the defending champions.
The signing of Brown paves the way for Mahomes’ 3-peat, adding an experienced wideout in the Chiefs’ receiving room. This move comes after the club faced a significant struggle in the past few years, constantly dropping the ball, especially since Tyreek Hill‘s departure in 2022. And now that Marquez Valdes-Scantling has also been released, the defending champs definitely needed the firepower.
It can be said with certainty that Patrick Mahomes isn’t taking his 3-peat vision lightly. According to a report by AP News, the Kansas City Chiefs and their star shot-caller agreed to a restructure of their contract, freeing up $21.6 million. The original deal had $58 million against the cap for the upcoming season.
The Chiefs can utilize this cap space in the free agency market as well as in the 2024 NFL Draft. The move would in fact also aid Mahomes’ confidence in the team, which was more than evident last year, leading to multiple spats and turmoil. In 2024, Mahomes is promised a base salary of $9,850,000, with a cap hit of $37,008,269, per Spotrac.
This is not the first time Patrick Mahomes has agreed to restructure his contract and help his team with finances, as in 2021, he also adjusted his 10-year $450 million deal. This is the showcase of a leader, and it’s exactly the reason why Kansas City has become the biggest threat in the NFL right now.
