Getty Image / Kevin Sabitus
After another Super Bowl victory, it’s hard to argue that Patrick Mahomes is indeed the premier signal caller in the National Football League. The Texas Tech product now has two Super Bowls and three appearances in his first five seasons as a starter.
Due to lopsided time of possession, the numbers don’t truly show how good Patrick Mahomes was Sunday evening in Arizona. He finished 21/27 for 182 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no picks, and also added 44 yards on 6 carries on a bum ankle.
Speaking of that ankle, he seemed to re-aggravate it in the 2nd quarter. At that point, with the Eagles up 7 and 10 at half, it looked bleak for the Chiefs.
pic.twitter.com/PK7jRSTPeu
The pain of #Chiefs Patrick Mahomes injury.— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) February 13, 2023
But, he showed major guts all game. Look at this scramble, which was one of the biggest plays of the game.
What a performance by Mahomes. Career-defining play on that last scramble on one leg. pic.twitter.com/aga9ekDsP0
— Brien E. (@brienedwards1) February 13, 2023
It is plays like that that make him a legend and helped him capture another Super Bowl MVP. And, it makes him well worth the 10-year, $450 million dollar deal he signed in 2020.
But, at the time when he signed that deal, many thought it would take up too much of the salary cap for the Chiefs to have enough talent around him to wn a ring. But, Mahomes made history Sunday night, as he set a new record for biggest cap hit for a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
patrick mahomes won the super bowl taking up 17% of his team’s salary cap
previously there was no quarterback that won a super bowl taking up more than 12.5% of their team’s salary cap in a season
— Tej Seth (@tejfbanalytics) February 13, 2023
Now, I still think that the best way to win a ring is to get a great quarterback on a rookie deal, surround them with talent using the savings from a rookie contract. They had to get rid of Tyreek Hill, mainly because of Mahomes’ salary cap hit. But, they won anyways and it Mahomes gave a lot of hope to teams like the Bengals, Jaguars, and ironically, the Eagles that are going to have to pay quarterbacks big money in the next 12 months.