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Chiefs pick up Mahomes’ fifth-year option

Field Level Media

April 30, 2020 at 4:13 pm.

The Kansas City Chiefs picked up the fifth-year option for quarterback Patrick Mahomes on Thursday, keeping him under contract through 2021.

The move was a formality for the Chiefs, who have said they intend to lock up the 2018 Most Valuable Player with a long-term contract.

Mahomes will be playing in 2020 on the final year of a four-year, $16.4 million deal he signed after the Chiefs made him the No. 10 overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft. He is due to make $24.8 million in 2021, according to Spotrac, but is predicted to become the NFL’s highest-paid player with his next contract.

“Pat wants to certainly create his own legacy and he wants to do that in Kansas City and we want to establish a long line of winning Super Bowls here,” general manager Brett Veach told reporters earlier this month. “I think at the end of the day, we all understand the dynamics that go into making that happen, both individually and as a team.

“Like I said, the good thing is there isn’t a kid that believes in team more than Pat and we’ll have a lot of time. The fact that there’s dialogue and there will continue to be dialogue and there’s a lot of trust and faith in each other I think will help us as we navigate the next few months.”

Mahomes, 24, won the MVP award in his first season as a starter and led the Chiefs to the Super Bowl championship after the 2019 season. He is 24-7 as a starter and has thrown for 9,412 yards with 76 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.