New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold & the impact of Patrick Mahomes' contract
Patrick Mahomes new contract is record-setting, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback having recently agreed to a 10-year deal that could top $450 million when it is all said and done. Despite the largesse of the deal, the fallout for other young quarterbacks such as Sam Darnold, is likely to be limited.
In an NFL Draft class of quarterbacks that includes Baker Mayfield (Cleveland Browns) and Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills), Darnold is set to enter the third year of his rookie contract with the New York Jets. By next year, the Jets will likely be engaged in some level of discussions with their franchise quarterback, especially if he takes the next step forward in his development and has a developmentally sound 2020 season.
How Mahomes’ contract impacts the likes of Darnold, Mayfield and Allen among others is too soon to tell.
“Mahomes' deal is groundbreaking in many respects, but in some key metrics it is relatively in line with expectations. The ‘rolling’ guarantee structure is not new to the Chiefs, as they followed a similar structure with Tyreek Hill's recent extension,” said Brad Spielberger of OverTheCap.com. He is also a contributor at Pro Football Focus.
“In terms of ‘New Money’ over the first five years of the extension, the average per year (APY) comes in at $39.55M. If Mahomes had signed a five-year/$200M extension, the hooplah over the deal would not have been to the degree that his mammoth 10-year/$450M extension has created.”
The money, while obscene, is very much deserved in terms of Mahomes and his output over three years in the NFL. Last season, he won the Super Bowl and was named MVP of the game, all while making his second-straight Pro Bowl. In 2018, he was named the Bert Bell Award winner from the Maxwell Football Club as professional football’s top player.
Not shockingly, but Mahomes is represented by the powerful agent duo of Leigh Steinberg and Chris Cabott of Steinberg Sports. The agency has a three-decade long run of dominance in representing high-profile NFL quarterbacks.
Spielberger said he doesn’t know what the market will look like for the likes of Darnold or Mayfield and Allen but he
“For this reason, I do not foresee a deal topping $40M APY for a few years. Mahomes has set something of a cap with that new money average Spielberger said. “One effect we may see is a return to longer contracts after a recent move towards shorter deals. For the next crop of quarterbacks from the 2018 Draft class, in my opinion not much will change. Unless Lamar Jackson wins MVP again in 2021, I don't think anyone in that class will be threatening Mahomes' deal.”
