Report: Patrick Mahomes restructures contract, lessens blow on Kansas City Chiefs salary cap

The Kansas City Chiefs have restructured the contract of quarterback Patrick Mahomes. According to Over the Cap, Kansas City has lowered his 2026 salary cap number from $78.2 to $34.65 million, freeing up $43.56 million in cap space.

The Chiefs created the cap space by converting $54.45 million of Mahomes’ 2026 salary into a signing bonus. This will be the fourth season running that Kansas City will have restructured Mahomes’ contract to give it more spending flexibility.

Such is life when you’re in a Super Bowl window like the Chiefs are, though the four-time champions took a significant step back in 2025. Kansas City finished 6-11, ending the regular season on a six-game losing streak.

Patrick Mahomes recovering from major injury

In Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Mahomes suffered a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee. Mahomes underwent surgery the next day, putting him at risk of being available for the start of the 2026 season.

Mahomes told reporters in January that the rehab was going “great,” and doctors have to hold him back from pushing harder. Mahomes added he wants to be ready for the Chiefs’ Week 1 matchup, but the doctors said he has a “long way to go.”

“He’ll attack it, just like he does everything else,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said about Mahomes’ recovery. “There have been some pretty good quarterbacks who have had the same injury, and they’ve done pretty well after they came back. He’ll get after it, and he’s got good people here to rehab him. He’ll be right on top of all of that. As long as the surgery goes well, as expected, then I would expect a fairly quick recovery for him, just because of those factors.”

Mahomes will be back in 2026. Clearly, the roster around him needs upgrading. Expect the Chiefs to be aggressive this offseason as they look to get back to the postseason.