Revealing the Key Lesson the Giants Can Learn from Patrick Mahomes' Contract

Patrick Mahomes' rise to stardom is a big reminder of why it's important for a team to determine if it has its franchise quarterback on the roster while he's on his rookie deal.

The late Al Davis was well known for many things, most notably his famous saying, “Just win baby.”

That’s why on July 6, 2020, 24-year-old Patrick Mahomes, he of a 28-8 career record (including postseason) and the reigning Super Bowl champion and MVP, received a blockbuster, record-setting contract that will run through the 2031 season and which is reportedly worth up to $503 million with $477 million in guarantee mechanisms, thus making him the first athlete in any sport to earn a contract worth half a billion dollars.

Mahomes’ surge to fame and subsequent payday is certainly well-earned, given all he’s brought to the Kansa City Chiefs. It’s also a big reminder to teams like the Giants who currently have their franchise quarterback Daniel Jones on his rookie deal needs to take advantage of that factor before Jones’ next contract comes up for renewal.

The Giants, who are on their third restart with a new coaching staff—first it was Ben McAdoo, then Pat Shurmur and now Joe Judge—need to eliminate these false starts they’ve been having and finally start taking advantage of the flexibility afforded to them by having Jones on his rookie deal.

No one should realize this more than Giants general manager Dave Gettleman. Last year, the team held on to now-retired quarterback Eli Manning and his $23.2 million salary-cap hit with the hopes that he still had some magic left in his arm.

When Shurmur pulled the plug on Manning after only two games, that cap hit, along with the $55.126 million in dead money they incurred from dumping big-money contracts, hamstrung the franchise’s salary cap and their ability to acquire the talent they needed to compete.

With Gettleman having straightened out the cap and having Jones on his rookie deal, it’s imperative that the Giants, who once again tore down parts of the foundation to rebuild it to Judge’s specifications, start showing signs of progress now before they have to bring Jones’ contract up to speed with what a franchise quarterback typically averages per season.

That’s why the next two seasons are critical for the Giants and Jones, the latter of whom cannot afford to open the bank vault for a quarterback who doesn’t show significant progress in his anointed role as a franchise quarterback.