Mike Florio rips GM Brett Veach and Chiefs over Patrick Mahomes' "grossly underpaying" contract
Mike Florio, the host of Pro Football Talk, recently criticized Brett Veach, the Kansas City Chiefs' general manager, for Patrick Mahomes' seemingly underpaid contract. Florio was particularly taken aback by Mahomes' three-year cash flow, which reportedly puts him in 10th place among quarterbacks.
According to Pro Football Talk sources, the New York Jets' Aaron Rodgers tops the list at $150.8 million, while Deshaun Watson is second at $138 million.
Florio said:
“It's almost criminal what Mahomes' representation did taking that deal. And what I was told was, they wanted to be able to say we got the first half-billion-dollar contract, it's worth $500 million. Well, if you do it for long enough, it's gonna be.
“But if it's, you know, if it's the rest of his career as the market keeps going up, and the salary cap keeps going up, who cares that it's a half-billion-dollar contract…
He continued:
The point is, is he getting his fair share for what he means? And Clark Hunt’s right. He always will be underpaid. That doesn't justify grossly underpaying him, though.”
Florio added that Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs should return to the negotiating table and arrive at a fair value.
He said:
“The Chiefs can afford to pay this guy more money. They should. They have an obligation to do it. I mean, at some point, talking about the con artists don't you feel guilty if you're the Chiefs? Don't you feel bad that we gotta look at this?
“Like something's not right here. We got the best player in the NFL by far, and we're not paying him anything close to what these other quarterbacks are getting. And nobody's saying anything about it.”
Mahomes signed a 10-year $450 million contract extension with the Chiefs in 2020, but the deal didn't start until 2022 because he played the 2021 season under the team's fifth-year option.
He led the Chiefs to victory in Super Bowl LVII over the Philadelphia Eagles in the first year of his mega-extension, taking home season and Super Bowl MVP honors.
Quarterback market has been reset since Patrick Mahomes' deal
When Patrick Mahomes signed his current deal, his contract was among the league’s highest in terms of annual average value (AAV). But since then, other players have elevated the quarterback market.
Last year, Kyler Murray agreed to a five-year, $230 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals ($46 million AAV). Russell Wilson signed a five-year, $242.5 million extension with the Denver Broncos ($48.5 million AAV).
Aaron Rodgers signed his three-year, $150.8 restructured contract ($50.27 million AAV) while still with the Green Bay Packers.
This offseason, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts reset the market with his five-year, $255 million deal ($51 million AAV). Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson agreed to a five-year, $260 million extension ($52 million AAV) with the Baltimore Ravens on the first day of the 2023 draft.