$9,000,000 Pay Cut by Patrick Mahomes Shows He’s Walking in Shadow of Tom Brady

Published 03/17/2023, 10:04 AM EDT

What makes a good captain and a visionary leader? It is the will to lead from the front and when the situation demands, take one for the team. Patrick Mahomes recently demonstrated why he is worthy of being called a true leader. Despite having won his second Super Bowl MVP and securing his second Lombardi Trophy, he is not content to rest on his laurels. Instead, the Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback has taken it upon himself to reshape the team’s roster and attempt to emulate a feat last achieved by Tom Brady’s New England Patriots, i.e. win consecutive Super Bowls.

To achieve this, Patrick Mahomes made the tough decision to take a significant pay cut for now, sacrificing millions of dollars for the sake of the team. The Kansas City Chiefs restructured their star quarterback’s contract, freeing up much-needed cap space to pursue new talent in free agency. It is this kind of selflessness that draws comparisons to legends like Tom Brady, who have put team success above personal gain time and time again.

Patrick Mahomes is taking one for the team

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With free agency looming and the draft on the horizon, the Chiefs needed to clear some cap space. They turned to their leader, who they had signed to a then-record 10-year $450 million contract back in 2020. He answered the call without hesitation. Patrick Mahomes selflessly agreed to have $12 million of his 2023 roster bonus converted to a signing bonus, clearing up $10 million in cap space.

$9.6 million, to be precise, according to the reports from ESPN’s Field Yates. The Chiefs have distributed Patrick Mahomes’ salary burden over a few years, bringing his 2023 cap hit down from $49.3 million to $39.7 million.

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The Chiefs have converted $12M of QB Patrick Mahomes’ 2023 roster bonus into a signing bonus, creating $9.6M in cap space, per source.
More flexibility for the champs throughout free agency. pic.twitter.com/lQZlD87acp
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 16, 2023

With this move, Patrick Mahomes has registered his name with the NFL GOAT Tom Brady. But how?

Mahomes isn’t the only QB to undergo restructuring

It has been done before, especially during the tampering period and legal negotiation window of the free agency. Seven-time Super Bowl champion and recently retired Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, Tom Brady, restructured his one-year $25 million contract to a one-year $15 million in 2022, freeing up nearly $9 million to enable the Buccaneers to gather sufficient ammo in their arsenal.

More recently, this week, Cleveland Browns restructured the contract of their QB Deshaun Watson. The #12 pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, who became the highest guaranteed earner in the NFL with his $230 million five-year deal, agreed to get paid later, allowing the Browns to free up around $36 million in cap room.

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Out of $45,000,000 Salary, Taxes Take Away Huge Chunk of Patrick Mahomes’ Historical Half a Billion Dollar Contract

Even with the $9.6 million freed up through Patrick Mahomes’ selfless decision, the franchise cap space is effectively only $13.6 million in the green. That still doesn’t reflect the contract of KC’s recent acquisition from the San Francisco 49ers, defensive end, Charles Omenihu.

Besides Omenihu, the AFC West franchise also roped in free agent OT from Jacksonville, Jawaan Taylor, and re-signed linebacker Tershawn Wharton. However, with JuJu Smith-Schuster joining the New England Patriots, the Chiefs have to provide some aid to the returning receiving group comprising Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore, and Kadarius Toney. Maybe some of that Mahomes money will go towards getting a veteran wideout wearing red next season.

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Written by:

Soumyapriyo Ganguly is an NFL writer at Essentially Sports. He holds a degree in Economics and Statistics from the Indian School of Business and Finance. Rivu is a sports nerd with his favorites being Soccer, American Football, Basketball, UFC, and Formula 1.

Edited by:

Hitesh Nigam

$9,000,000 Pay Cut by Patrick Mahomes Shows He’s Walking in Shadow of Tom Brady

Patrick Mahomes is taking one for the team

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Mahomes isn’t the only QB to undergo restructuring