With the NFL salary cap rising every year, quarterback contracts are soaring to new heights. Dak Prescott makes $60 million, and many of the league’s top QBs now earn over $50 million annually. That’s why the Kansas City Chiefs—often known for being a frugal franchise—must be counting their blessings.
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They locked down their superstar quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, to a 10-year deal worth around $450 million. Despite his elite status, Mahomes is making less than the Browns’ injury-prone quarterback, Deshaun Watson.
Mahomes is not only one of the NFL’s most successful players but also one of the most popular athletes in all of American sports. Given his profile, one would expect him to dominate earnings off the field as well, and he does. Mahomes brought in $86 million last year through a combination of salary and endorsements.
But surprisingly, Watson earned even more, pulling in a staggering $91 million, despite limited availability on the field.
This surprising pay gap became a topic of conversation on a recent episode of the Fully Loaded podcast, where Cris Carter and Shawn Meaike discussed the world’s highest-paid athletes. While it was no shock that soccer and NBA players topped the list, some names from the NFL and MLB made appearances, too.
“How low Patrick Mahomes is? It’s not just the contract. It’s the endorsement. You would think State Farm and Adidas would be bigger. Mahomes has been to five Super Bowls. He has won three.”
Meaike even joked about Mahomes’ representation, questioning who was negotiating his deals. He suggested Mahomes might want to switch agents—maybe to Juan Soto’s. Soto recently signed a jaw-dropping 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets and earned $100 million in a single year.
Alternatively, Meaike half-seriously proposed hiring Watson’s agent, who helped secure that infamous fully guaranteed deal from Cleveland, making Watson the NFL’s highest-paid player last year.
“Who is his agent? You should get Juan Soto’s agent. He don’t even run and makes a lot more money than you. How about Deshaun Watson? How is that even possible? That’s a crazy contract. They could not take him out, no matter what happened. He was still getting paid. You find his agent, Patrick.”
Watson’s massive earnings—and the fact that he continues to earn so much despite limited on-field production—baffled both Carter and Meaike.
However, Mahomes wasn’t just trailing Deshaun Watson on the earnings list—there were plenty of other athletes ahead of him as well. The names included Cristiano Ronaldo ($275 million), Steph Curry ($156 million), Tyson Fury ($146 million), Dak Prescott ($137 million), Lionel Messi ($135 million), LeBron James ($133 million), Juan Soto, Karim Benzema ($104 million), Shohei Ohtani ($102 million), Kevin Durant ($101 million), Oleksandr Usyk ($101 million), Jon Rahm ($100 million).
These other names earned less than $100 million. Those names are- Giannis Antetokounmpo ($94.4 million), Scottie Scheffler ($92 million), Watson ($91 million), Kylian Mbappé ($90 million), Rory McIlroy ($87 million), and then finally, Patrick Mahomes at $86 million—just ahead of Jordan Love ($83 million) and Jared Goff ($80 million).
Given his accolades and influence, maybe it’s time for Mahomes to ask the Chiefs to revisit his contract. He could reasonably push for a raise to $60 million or at least $55 million—figures now earned by quarterbacks like Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Jordan Love, and Trevor Lawrence, none of whom have a Super Bowl ring. Soon, even Brock Purdy is expected to out-earn the two-time MVP.
