Brett Veach on Patrick Mahomes’ contract, Jerick McKinnon”s status
By Matt Conner
Brett Veach talked to the press before the draft and updated reporters on what will happen with Patrick Mahomes’ contract and other matters.
Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach spoke to the media on Thursday with one week left to go before the 2023 NFL Draft. When doing so, he was able to give updates to fans on a number of matters that remain unresolved here in the NFL offseason.
One of the primary concerns addressed by Veach was the status of Patrick Mahomes’ contract. When Mahomes signed a record-setting contract extension with the Chiefs back in July 2020—to the tune of 10 years and $450 million—even then it was clear the team would have to adjust it over time if Mahomes lived up to the early potential he showed on the field. Two Super Bowl titles and Most Valuable Player trophies later, it’s clear Mahomes is coming along as hoped.
At this point, Mahomes has the greatest cap hit of any quarterback in the NFL with $39M due in 2023, but that ranking will soon plummet as new quarterback deals begin to really kick in. Jalen Hurts just signed a massive contract extension with an average of $50 million. Lamar Jackson is demanding a new extension from the Baltimore Ravens, and Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert will both command top dollar in the next several months with new contracts of their own. And of course that doesn’t even touch Deshaun Watson’s insane deal with the Browns.
Next year, Mahomes has the sixth-highest cap hit and that’s without anyone new hitting the market to reshape the rankings. In ’24, Mahomes will be $17 million behind Watson and even $13 million behind Dak Prescott. In 2025, Mahomes is now 9th and likely to fall some more. Brett Veach addressed the status of things on Thursday:
“We’ll always be working to make sure we’re doing right by everybody. There will be a couple of more contracts that still have to get done with [Joe] Burrow and [Justin] Herbert. Once they do, you look at everything and assess where you are and take it from there.”
From there, Veach also addressed the status of veteran running back Jerick McKinnon, a fan favorite and postseason hero who remains unsigned.
“There has been some talk with Jerick,” said Veach. “He’s certainly a guy that we love and greatly admire. I think this follows a similar trajectory as last year, where I think Jerick just likes to take his time and make sure that he’s ready to go both physically and mentally. I think the timeline last year was right after the draft … once we get past next weekend, we’ll double up with a lot of these guys that might still have a chance to be on this roster.”
In terms of the draft, Veach stated that most of the pre-draft talk about how to move up or down will happen on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of draft week as he and his front office staff figure out exactly what some teams might want if they want to move up or down draft boards at certain points. From there, the Chiefs can gain a general idea of what is best for them.