Mahomes’ $63.093 – Patrick Mahomes’ eight-year contract, averaging $63.093 million per year, has pushed quarterback pay into new territory—setting the stage for negotiations involving Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Baker Mayfield, C.J. Stroud, and the next wave including Caleb Willi
When Patrick Mahomes agreed to a new contract that runs for eight seasons and averages $63.093 million per year, it didn’t just change his own paycheck. It instantly became the measuring stick for the quarterback market’s next round of negotiations.
Mahomes’ deal covers eight seasons and averages $63.093 million per year from signing, setting a payout at that level and effectively raising the ceiling for everyone trying to turn leverage into a new contract.
Lamar Jackson is the clearest example of how quickly expectations get remixed. Jackson has wanted a new deal for more than a year. and his current contract averaged $52.5 million per year from signing. When that deal was finalized, he was the highest paid player in the league. After Mahomes pushed into $63.09 million territory—especially while still recovering from a torn ACL—Jackson’s stance is expected to harden.
Jackson currently has $104 million remaining on his current contract over the next two years. With a no-tag clause, he can push negotiations through the next two seasons and become an unrestricted free agent. That structure gives him leverage. and the Mahomes number is likely to nudge Jackson’s “reasonable expectations” from at least $60.1 million per year—based on Dak Prescott’s latest deal—to at least $63.1 million annually.
Joe Burrow, meanwhile, is still under a contract he agreed to after his first three NFL seasons. In 2023. Burrow signed 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, averaging $40.88 million.
Burrow’s recent restructuring is described as a cap-creation device with no new money. The Bengals. who are characterized as careful with money. may not be inclined to tear up the deal and replace it with a new contract. Burrow’s own posture may not be automatic either. His discontent after three straight non-playoff seasons has become more obvious. and entering his seventh season in Cincinnati. he could be thinking about the same kind of decision Carson Palmer made after his eighth.
Baker Mayfield’s situation sits in a different kind of pressure zone—less about timing and more about how far the negotiations will stretch. Mayfield has said talks on a deal that would extend his $33.3 million per year contract are nowhere close to where he thought they’d be. The Buccaneers could tag him in 2027, or they could let him hit the open market.
Some believe the Buccaneers wouldn’t use the franchise tag. With a 2026 cap number of $39.975 million, Mayfield’s 2027 franchise tender would be at least $47.97 million. There’s also a sense in some circles that the Buccaneers believe they’ll ultimately offer more than anyone would in free agency—if a new deal isn’t done before Mayfield’s self-imposed deadline of the start of training camp.
C.J. Stroud’s negotiations are less about what he wants and more about whether the Texans move quickly enough. The Texans have repeatedly proclaimed that he’s their guy. but they haven’t yet done for him what they did for cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and defensive end Will Anderson—signing their first-round picks to new deals before their fourth seasons.
The challenge is the number. Veteran quarterback pay has a broad range. and Stroud’s second contract isn’t something the Texans can simply set without thinking about where he fits. Right now, the number would be lower than it could be for Stroud if he has a strong fourth season. Since the Texans know that. at this point. they’d only be bidding against themselves. there’s no reason to rush.
The Mahomes figure also lands right on the doorstep of younger quarterbacks who are only now approaching their first real “big window.” Caleb Williams. the first overall pick in the 2024 draft. becomes eligible for a new deal after the 2026 regular season. The angle here is very business-first; Williams has been focused on the NFL’s realities even before he was drafted.
When his deal comes. the Mahomes number will drive the discussion—especially if Williams continues on a trajectory that could put him among the top four or five quarterbacks in football. There’s already talk of expectations that are described as more than eye-popping. The expectation is also that Williams will push to have his contract settled 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. The question beneath it is simple: why carry injury risk into the 2026 postseason when the CBA wrinkle has been “hiding in plain sight” since 2011.
Jayden Daniels, with the Commanders, has the same eligibility timing: a new deal after the 2026 regular season. Daniels’ main goal should be to reestablish himself after a disappointing and injury-plagued second season. in which he played only seven of 17 games. If Daniels returns to rookie form, he’ll be joining Williams as a quarterback looking for a second contract.
Drake Maye is next in line in the same calendar window. The Patriots will hope that—like Tom Brady before him—Maye will be less inclined to “break the bank” and more inclined to make sure there will be cap space to build a quality team around him. Maye. who finished second in the MVP voting to cap his second season. has his window open after the 2026 regular season.
Bo Nix’s window opens after the 2026 regular season as well, but his needs are tied to health and fit. Nix will need to show he has fully recovered from the foot injury suffered late in the AFC playoff win over the Bills. and he’ll need to do even more in Sean Payton’s offense to unlock a major deal. The bar has been raised—and the 2024 draft group could add more data points as their own timelines approach.
Those timelines are converging at the same moment. and it raises the question that always follows a major market-setting contract: who goes first. Williams. Daniels. Maye. and Nix are all in the discussion orbit. and there will be a competition among agents to emerge with the best deal. That competition could push some of them to wait until others jump into the pool first.
Not everyone is waiting on 2026, though. Sam Darnold’s situation is shaped by structure rather than timing. Darnold is set to earn three years and $100.5 million in a contract from 2025. structured to give the Seahawks an escape hatch after one year. It wasn’t structured to force the team back to the table if Darnold leads the team to a Super Bowl win.
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. Either way. Mahomes’ new contract is already described as a factor—because in quarterback negotiations. even when the calendar says “later. ” the market arrives immediately.
Patrick Mahomes contract quarterback pay Lamar Jackson next deal Joe Burrow Bengals Baker Mayfield Buccaneers C.J. Stroud Texans Caleb Williams contract Jayden Daniels deal Drake Maye Patriots Bo Nix Broncos Sam Darnold Seahawks
QBs getting paid like they’re running the whole country now.
Lamar’s gonna ask for like 100 mil a year now right? Because math. Also Mahomes having ACL stuff shouldn’t matter, but it always does somehow.
Baker Mayfield should be next?? I feel like he already got his bag like 2 years ago. Unless this is about guaranteed money and not average salary, which they never explain.
So Mahomes signed for $63.093 million and now everyone’s ceilings up… but is that per game or per season? Cuz like, I swear I heard quarterbacks make way more than that on TV commercials. Joe Burrow, C.J. Stroud, Lamar—idk, it’s just gonna keep spiraling until the cap explodes.