Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes addresses not being NFL's highest-paid player

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes seems unbothered about not being the NFL's highest-paid player ahead of Memorial Day. 

"Me, my agent, and the team always keep open communication. We try to do whatever is the best for the team," Mahomes said during a Wednesday news conference, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "But, obviously, I want to do what’s best for myself as well. But at the same time, I’ve always said, I worry about legacy and winning rings more than making money at this moment...I’ll never do anything that’s going to hurt us from keeping the great players around me."

The 10-year extension worth up to $503M Mahomes received in the summer of 2020 is now nothing short of a bargain for the Chiefs. Ahead of his 28th birthday that he'll celebrate in September, Mahomes is already a two-time Super Bowl champion, a two-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player and a two-time regular-season MVP but is grossly underpaid compared to others. 

As shared by ESPN back in April, Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson reset the quarterback market with contracts they signed earlier this spring. Mahomes mentioned how he and others such as Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals and Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers are negotiating for themselves while also attempting to keep their clubs strong. 

"You want to keep the bar pushing," Mahomes said. "It’s not about being the highest-paid guy, it’s not about making a ton of money. I’ve made enough money where I’ll be set for the rest of my life. But, at the same time, you’ve got to find that line where you’re making a good amount of money but you’re still keeping a lot of great players around you so you can win these Super Bowls and you’re going to be able to compete in these games." 

Mahomes hinted he wants to follow in the footsteps of Tom Brady and get "paid a lot of money but at the same time (keep) a lot of those great players around." The reigning MVP sounds in no hurry to land his next extension that is currently being "assessed" by Kansas City general manager Brett Veach, but logic suggests Mahomes should be the league's highest-paid player one way or another when the Chiefs open the 2023 season against the Detroit Lions on Sept. 7.