We’re still several months away from the Kansas City Chiefs being eligible to extend the contract of star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
When Mahomes does sign an extension, it’s expected to be a record-setting deal that makes him one of the highest-paid QBs to ever play the game. During his Wednesday press briefing, Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt expressed his excitement about the opportunity to extend Mahomes and keep him in Kansas City for the length of his career.
“We are certainly excited about the opportunity to extend Patrick’s stay with the Chiefs and hope that it lasts his entire career,” Hunt said. “It’s probably a little bit premature to be talking about a new contract. Everyone knows that the first opportunity that we’ll have to re-sign him will come at the end of this season. But that is a decision that we will have to make with his representatives, whether this is the right time, or perhaps a year from now.”
Many expected the Chiefs to begin negotiating a contract as soon as the new league year begins in March. What we can gather from Hunt is that they’re prepared to wait for what they believe is the right time. Mahomes has previously mentioned that he wants to play for Kansas City for his entire career, and Hunt clearly shares that desire.
The things that Hunt has seen from Mahomes in 2019 are encouraging. There was no sophomore slump for Mahomes as the Chiefs’ starter. Instead, Hunt sees Mahomes making strides from his 2018 MVP campaign, both as a player and a leader.
“Before he got hurt, I thought that he picked up right where he left off – not only in his play but also in his leadership,” Hunt said. “He was probably in a better position, from a leadership standpoint, having had last year behind him, and really the team was galvanizing around him. I thought that he did a great job during training camp, all the way into early in the season. Getting hurt is tough for any professional athlete. It’s hard to be on the sideline. It’s hard particularly when you’re a leader and you’re not playing. I thought he handled that well. I think we all saw what he did on the sideline to encourage his teammates, including going out and congratulating Harrison (Butker) after he made that kick to win the game against Minnesota. He has done a fantastic job. I hate to say that we expect it at this point, but we really do. He is a fantastic young man and a really outstanding leader.”
One thing that Hunt has liked about Mahomes is how he’s continued to lead and support his teammates through his injury. It’s not always the easiest thing to surrender that control and sit on the bench. Speaking of injury, Hunt echoed Andy Reid and explained that the team left the decision on when Mahomes should return from his kneecap dislocation to the medical staff.
“It was an issue that we discussed thoroughly, but at the end of the day, we left it to the doctors and our training staff,” Hunt said of Mahomes’ injury. “We are lucky to have a great medical team. We wanted them to be comfortable with when he came back on the field. I think you guys spoke to him and he mentioned that he wanted to get right back out there, including during the Denver game. He felt that he could have played against Green Bay and certainly against Minnesota the following week. But our medical staff wanted to be more cautious with him. At the end of the day, I think that was the right decision.”
During the Week 10 game against the Tennessee Titans, CBS analyst Tony Romo made a Michael Jordan reference when talking about Mahomes’ jump-pass touchdown to Mecole Hardman. That led to Hunt receiving a question about whether Mahomes has a Jordan-esque impact on the Chiefs from a marketing and brand perspective. The Hunt family has been part owners of the Bulls franchise since its founding.
“It is certainly a goal for us to grow our fan base,” Hunt said. “When you have a successful team, that helps. And obviously, when you have a star player, that also helps. Our family was, and still is, with the Chicago Bulls, so we got to live through that experience with Michael Jordan and see it firsthand. That was a special time for the Bulls organization, and Michael did a lot to grow their brand not only nationally but on an international basis. I think certainly, to some degree, Patrick gives us that same opportunity.”
While growing the brand is well and good, fans want to see this team win its first Super Bowl in 50 years.. Hunt remains optimistic the Chiefs can reach Super Bowl LIV, but if not this year, he knows that Mahomes will give them a great chance to be competitive for a long time.
“I think it is no secret that in the National Football League, to win championships, you need somebody very special at the quarterback position,” Hunt said. “We have had some outstanding players here over the years, but I don’t think that we have had one like Patrick Mahomes in a very long time. Having him as the Chiefs quarterback really gives us an opportunity every year to be competitive and hopefully compete for an AFC championship, and ultimately a Super Bowl. So, I think it’s really an exercise in building the team around him. That’s sort of the mentality that you have every year. He is the centerpiece, and you build the team around him within the constraints of the salary cap.”
The ultimate goal of this franchise is to win championships, and Hunt recognizes the importance of the QB position in that goal. While an extension for Mahomes is a piece of the puzzle, building up the team around him will help them set the final pieces.
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