{"id":704119,"date":"2026-06-14T19:59:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T19:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/704119\/"},"modified":"2026-06-14T19:59:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T19:59:09","slug":"after-the-patrick-mahomes-deal-which-quarterbacks-are-next-to-get-paid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/704119\/","title":{"rendered":"After the Patrick Mahomes deal, which quarterbacks are next to get paid?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The new Patrick Mahomes contract covers eight seasons and averages, from signing, a payout of $63.093 million per year<\/a>. That pushes the market to unprecedented heights. And it brings into focus the next wave of quarterback deals.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s take a look at the quarterbacks who\u2019ll use the Mahomes contract as a key data point for ongoing or upcoming negotiations.<\/p>\n

Lamar Jackson, Ravens.<\/p>\n

Jackson has wanted a new deal for more than a year. His current contract averaged $52.5 million per year from signing. At the time it was finalized, he was the highest paid player in the league. He has now slid down to the bottom of the top 10. Mahomes getting to $63.09 million, especially while still recovering from a torn ACL, will only strengthen Lamar\u2019s resolve.<\/p>\n

Jackson currently has $104 million remaining on his current contract, over the next two years. With a no-tag clause, he can kick the can through the next two seasons and become an unrestricted free agent. It gives him significant leverage, and Mahomes\u2019s contract likely nudges Lamar\u2019s reasonable expectations from at least $60.1 million per year (based on Dak Prescott\u2019s latest deal) to at least $63.1 million annually.<\/p>\n

Joe Burrow, Bengals.<\/p>\n

In 2023, after his first three NFL seasons, Burrow agreed to a seven-year deal with an average from signing of $44.28 million per year and a new-money average of $55 million. He has four years left with a total payout of $163.539 million, an average of $40.88 million. <\/p>\n

His recent restructuring was a cap-creation device, with no new money. The Bengals, who are extremely careful with money<\/a>, may not be inclined to tear up the current deal and replace it with a new contract.<\/p>\n

For his part, Burrow may not be inclined to extend his commitment to the team. His discontent after three straight non-playoff seasons has become more obvious. As he enters his seventh season in Cincinnati, Burrow could be thinking about reaching the same conclusion Carson Palmer did after his eighth.<\/p>\n

Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers.<\/p>\n

He has said talks on a deal that would extend his $33.3 million per year contract are nowhere close to where he thought they\u2019d be. The Buccaneers could tag him in 2027, or they could let him hit the open market.<\/p>\n

Some think the Bucs wouldn\u2019t use the franchise tag; with a 2026 cap number of $39.975 million, Mayfield\u2019s 2027 franchise tender would be at least $47.97 million. There\u2019s a sense in some circles that the Bucs believe they\u2019ll ultimately offer him more than anyone would in free agency, if a new deal isn\u2019t done before Mayfield\u2019s self-imposed deadline of the start of training camp.<\/p>\n

C.J. Stroud.<\/p>\n

The Texans repeatedly have proclaimed that he\u2019s their guy. But they have yet to do for him what they\u2019d done for cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and defensive end Will Anderson \u2014 sign the first-round pick to a new deal before his fourth season.<\/p>\n

The challenge at this point comes from putting a number on his second contract. There\u2019s a broad range when it comes to veteran quarterback pay. Where would Stroud fit?<\/p>\n

Currently, the number would be lower than it could be for Stroud, if he has a strong fourth season. Since the Texans realize that, at this point, they\u2019d be only bidding against themselves, there\u2019s no reason to rush the process.<\/p>\n

Caleb Williams, Bears.<\/p>\n

The first overall pick in the 2024 draft becomes eligible for a new deal after the 2026 regular season. And Williams has been very focused on the business realities of the NFL, from even before he was drafted.<\/p>\n

When the time comes for Williams to get a new deal, the Mahomes number will drive the discussion. Especially if Williams continues to be on a trajectory that could put him among the top four or five quarterbacks in football.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve already heard talk of Williams having expectations that would be more than eye-popping. And we also expect that Williams will make it known that he wants his contract not after the 2026 postseason ends, but promptly upon the opening of the window for a new deal after the Bears face the Vikings in Week 18.<\/p>\n

Why carry the injury risk into the 2026 postseason? No quarterback on his rookie deal has tried to do that, even though the CBA wrinkle has been hiding in plain sight since 2011.<\/p>\n

Jayden Daniels, Commanders.<\/p>\n

Like Williams, Daniels becomes eligible for a new deal after the 2026 regular season. His main goal should be to reestablish himself after a disappointing and injury-plagued second season, during which he played only seven of 17 games.<\/p>\n

If Daniels returns to his rookie form, he\u2019ll be joining Williams as a quarterback looking for a second contract.<\/p>\n

Drake Maye, Patriots.<\/p>\n

The player who finished second in the MVP voting to cap his second season also has his window open after the 2026 regular season. And the Patriots will be hoping that, like Tom Brady before him, Maye will be less inclined to break the bank and more inclined to ensure that there will be cap space to have a quality team around him.<\/p>\n

Brady, who entered the league as the 199th overall pick, had naturally lower expectations early in his career. Maye, the third overall pick who was denied the commensurate reward due to the rookie wage scale, may not be as charitable as Brady was.<\/p>\n

Bo Nix, Broncos.<\/p>\n

Nix\u2019s window likewise opens after the 2026 regular season. He\u2019ll need to show he has fully recovered from the foot injury suffered late in the AFC playoff win over the Bills. And he\u2019ll need to do even more in Sean Payton\u2019s offense to unlock a major deal.<\/p>\n

Regardless, there\u2019s a new high bar \u2014 and his contemporaries from the 2024 draft could add more data points.<\/p>\n

That raises another question, as to Williams, Daniels, Maye, and Nix. Who goes first? There will be a competition among the agents to emerge with the best deal. This could prompt some of them to wait until the others jump in the pool first.<\/p>\n

Sam Darnold, Seahawks.<\/p>\n

Darnold\u2019s three-year, $100.5 million contract from 2025 was structured to give the Seahawks an escape hatch after one year. It wasn\u2019t structured to force the team back to the table if Darnold leads the team to a Super Bowl win.<\/p>\n

With $27.5 million in base pay and up to $5 million in available incentives, Darnold would be justified to seek a new deal. The Seahawks may want to wait until 2027. <\/p>\n

Regardless, Mahomes\u2019s new contract will be a factor, whenever it\u2019s time to sit down and work out a new contract.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The new Patrick Mahomes contract covers eight seasons and averages, from signing, a payout of $63.093 million per…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":704120,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[399,398,396,397,99],"class_list":["post-704119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ncaa-football","tag-football","tag-ncaa","tag-ncaa-football","tag-ncaafootball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/704119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=704119"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/704119\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/704120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=704119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=704119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=704119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}