Lamar Jackson has to love the new deal Patrick Mahomes got from Chiefs
By Mike Luciano
Lamar Jackson has to like Patrick Mahomes’ deal.
Fresh off his first Super Bowl, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes just learned that he is going to be the man in Kansas City for the next 10 seasons after signing off on his jaw-dropping new contract.
Mahomes agreed to a gargantuan 10-year contract extension, per Adam Schefter. Considering he already had two years left on his deal prior to signing this extension, he will be committed to the Chiefs for the next 12 seasons.
If there is one person outside of Chiefs Kingdom that has to be thrilled with this news, it’s Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, as his price tag just keeps going up.
Patrick Mahomes just drove up the price for Lamar Jackson.
Part of the reason Jackson and Mahomes have been so successful right out of the gate is the fact they landed in successful, stable organizations that went out of their way to build the team around their new franchise quarterbacks. The Chiefs gave Mahomes Andy Reid and a 4×100 relay team at wide receiver to help him throw deep on every other play, while the Ravens gave Lamar the always flexible John Harbaugh and Greg Roman, an offensive coordinator who specializing in succeeding with mobile quarterbacks like Colin Kaepernick and Tyrod Taylor.
An MVP and division winner at the age of 22, Jackson is one of the few that have the athletic ability and precise passing to topple the mercurial Mahomes in the AFC West within the next few seasons. Now that Mahomes has shattered tradition by signing an almost unprecedented contract, giving Jackson a deal that approaches 10 years is now entirely possible. Expect Jackson to demand as such when it comes time to talk extensions.
If he keeps improving as a passer, don’t be surprised if Jackson’s deal equals or surpasses Mahomes’ when his time comes.
Tom Brady and Peyton Manning might have clashed for the better part of a decade in the AFC, but Mahomes’ new deal and Jackson’s impeding one should help both Baltimore and Kansas City square off in the postseason regularly over the next few years, forming the conferences next great rivalry.