Dear Patrick Mahomes,
Thank you for carrying on the winning seasons that Alex Smith brought to Kansas City. Thank you for restoring hope in one of the best fan bases in the NFL– things got dark there for a little while (I’m looking at you Matt Cassel).
You got us so close last year. We know that the 2019 season will be even better, but we just need one little favor; please, continue to put the teams needs before your own vanity.
All signs point to you doing this, and I’m elated, believe me I am. The fact that you refused endorsement deals for the entirety of your rookie season was something that impressed me greatly. Anyone else would have come into the league and sat down at the table with the first company that came calling to put your face in their commercial, but you didn’t. You stayed focused on the team and on the game, even though you knew, barring an Alex Smith injury, you probably weren’t going to see the field all year. The way you’ve been humble for your first two years has been a breath of fresh air. I appreciate it, I really do.
But, I would have to live in a hole if I didn’t see all the reports that you will be the first NFL quarterback to sign a $200 million deal, and that worries me.
Let me be clear, I’m not saying you don’t deserve it. You most definitely do. In your first full year as an NFL starter, you won the NFL MVP and, had your defense been a little better, you probably would have won the Super Bowl. So, you definitely deserve the largest contract ever paid.
I’ve seen too many times what can happen to a team when they sink too much money into one player. They can’t afford to keep the players that helped make that player great in the first place, so stars walk and the team falls apart, and eventually that player’s stats and impact start to fall. I don’t want to see that happen.
In 2018 alone, the six highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL failed to take their teams to playoffs.
Granted, Jimmy Garoppolo and Aaron Rodgers both missed some time due to injuries, and Matt Ryan’s team fell apart around him due to injuries too, but he still had the majority of his offense around him for most of the season.
Who knows, maybe you’ll be an anomaly. Maybe you will sign the lucrative contract and continue to play well enough to make up for the stars that have to walk because the Chiefs organization can’t afford them. And if that’s the case, then I hope you do.
I would rather see you continue to be humble, continue to put the team’s needs first, and allow us to stay great for years to come.
As much as I hate Tom Brady, I have to respect the man. Not for his rings, though those are very impressive, but for his willingness to take pay cuts so the Patriots organization can afford to build around him.
So, please Patrick, learn from one of the all-time greats to play the game, and not the guys who play to get paid.
More Articles
March Madness First Weekend Takeaways
Sweet 16 Reseeding and Intriguing Matchups
March Madness 2019: Meet the Field
How to Pick March Madness Upsets
