After the 2019-2020 season, when Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs won Super LIV, the consensus was that Patrick Mahomes was the best quarterback in the National Football League(NFL). With his rookie contract set to end after the 2019-2020 season, experts and fans were talking about his new extension and how much the Chiefs should pay him. Many assumed he would be the highest-paid player in NFL history. However, what they did not expect was a ground-breaking 10-year, 500-million dollar contract extension. Is he worth this much money? 

In his rookie year, the 2017-2018 season, Patrick Mahomes sat behind the veteran quarterback Alex Smith. Alex Smith produced a solid season for the Chiefs and led them to the playoffs before being traded to the Washington Football Team. With Smith gone, Mahomes assumed the role as the Chiefs starting quarterback. 

In his first year as a starter, Mahomes led the Chiefs to the AFC Championship. Although he lost this game, the first-year starter picked up a number of accolades along the way. He had a historical year, winning Most Valuable Player of the entire NFL, throwing 50 touchdowns, and throwing for an impressive 5,097 yards on the season (ESPN). His 50 touchdowns were the most among all quarterbacks in the league, and his 5,097 yards were second(ESPN). Additionally, Mahomes had a quarterback rating (QBR) of 80.3, which is the highest rating of all quarterbacks that year(ESPN). In just his first season starting, Mahomes had one of the most impressive passing seasons in NFL history. 

In his second year as a starter, the 2019-2020 season, Mahomes and the Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV. After many impressive comeback wins in the playoffs, Mahomes showed his leadership through sideline speeches to his players, keeping his head up, and playing quality football. Compared to expectations heading into the season, Mahomes had a relatively quiet year as he was overshadowed by Seattle’s Russell Wilson and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson’s outstanding campaigns and dealt with an ankle injury throughout the year. Despite this, Mahomes went on to have an extremely successful playoff run, where he had 10 touchdown passes, the most among the quarterbacks who played in the playoffs, and 901 yards which is also the most thrown by playoff quarterbacks that year (ESPN). With year two under his belt, he finally came to the end of his rookie contract and people were ready to see how much he really meant to the Chiefs. 

With all of this being said, Patrick Mahomes is clearly a generational talent and deserves the contract he was given. He has earned every penny of the contract through his strong leadership skills and his two record-breaking years as a starting quarterback. Patrick Mahomes will be around for the next 10 years, and we can expect even greater things to come from him.