The new Patrick Mahomes contract covers eight seasons and averages, from signing, a payout of $63.093 million per year. That pushes the market to unprecedented heights. And it brings into focus the next wave of quarterback deals.
So let’s take a look at the quarterbacks who’ll use the Mahomes contract as a key data point for ongoing or upcoming negotiations.
Lamar Jackson, Ravens.
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’s resolve.
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’s contract likely nudges Lamar’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, Bengals.
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.
His recent restructuring was a cap-creation device, with no new money. The Bengals, who are extremely careful with money, may not be inclined to tear up the current deal and replace it with a new contract.
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.
Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers.
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’d be. The Buccaneers could tag him in 2027, or they could let him hit the open market.
Some think the Bucs 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 a sense in some circles that the Bucs believe they’ll ultimately offer him 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.
The Texans repeatedly have proclaimed that he’s their guy. But they have yet to do for him what they’d done for cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and defensive end Will Anderson — sign the first-round pick to a new deal before his fourth season.
The challenge at this point comes from putting a number on his second contract. There’s a broad range when it comes to veteran quarterback pay. Where would Stroud fit?
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’d be only bidding against themselves, there’s no reason to rush the process.
Caleb Williams, Bears.
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.
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.
We’ve 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.
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.
Jayden Daniels, Commanders.
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.
If Daniels returns to his rookie form, he’ll be joining Williams as a quarterback looking for a second contract.
Drake Maye, Patriots.
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.
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.
Bo Nix, Broncos.
Nix’s window likewise opens after the 2026 regular season. He’ll 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.
Regardless, there’s a new high bar — and his contemporaries from the 2024 draft could add more data points.
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.
Sam Darnold, Seahawks.
Darnold’s three-year, $100.5 million contract from 2025 was 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.
Regardless, Mahomes’s new contract will be a factor, whenever it’s time to sit down and work out a new contract.
Patriots Clips
After a jury acquitted free-agent receiver Stefon Diggs of felony strangulation and misdemeanor assault, the NFL did not close its Personal Conduct Policy investigation arising from the underlying allegations.
It now has.
Per multiple reports, the NFL has ended the investigation. The league found that the evidence to support a finding of a violation was not sufficient.
It’s unclear whether the alleged victim, Mila Adams, was interviewed by the NFL. The league has no subpoena power, and it has no way to force non-employees of the league or its teams to cooperate.
Adams’s testimony at the Diggs criminal trial was ultimately not persuasive. The cross-examination demonstrated many flaws in the story. Ultimately, the case arguably should not have been pursued.
The NFL uses a much lower bar than the rigorous requirement of proof beyond a reasonable doubt that applies in criminal court. Even under that reduced standard, there was not enough evidence for the league to find that Diggs had done anything wrong.
Diggs remains a free agent. He generated more than 1,000 receiving yards during the 2025 season with the Patriots, one year after suffering a torn ACL.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel’s relationship with wide receiver A.J. Brown was strong when the two were together in Tennessee, and Vrabel was eager to bring Brown to New England when the opportunity arose. But Brown says Vrabel isn’t the only one he’s glad to be working with for a second time.
Brown noted that Vrabel has hired a number of assistant coaches in New England who worked for him in Tennessee, and that the Patriots have a few other players who were on the Titans when Brown played there. Those people make Brown feel like he’s already at home.
“Do I feel at home? Yeah, I’m surrounded by a lot of Tennessee coaches and a couple Tennessee players, so walking in the building feels good,” Brown said.
To Brown, the most important familiar face may be Patriots wide receivers coach Todd Downing, who was the Titans’ offensive coordinator during Brown’s final year in Tennessee. Vrabel also brought with him several members of the support staff and athletic training staff who worked for him with the Titans.
“Being around coach Vrabel and other people I know, it feels great,” Brown said.
Brown’s relationships in Philadelphia reportedly got rocky at times, but in New England, he thinks he’s found the right home.
Jordon Hudson keeps trying to extend her 15 minutes of fame.
Upon seeing Thursday’s report from The Assembly that Hudson has requested a broad range of internal North Carolina documents regarding last year’s report from Pablo Torre that she had been “banned” from the UNC football facility, my first reaction was to not give the story the oxygen she wants it to have.
Ignoring it simply because she wants it to be noticed isn’t the right answer. The development, despite being apparently gratuitous, has significance.
On one hand, Hudson is possibly trying to gather evidence that could be used in her promised (but not yet filed) lawsuit against Torre. (She should be paying very close attention to the applicable statutes of limitations, if she’s serious about suing.) On the other hand, she could be fishing for any evidence that could reveal whether and to what extent North Carolina officials were discussing her, internally or externally.
Whatever the explanation, it’s a very bad look for North Carolina coach Bill Belichick. He knows what she’s doing and supports it or he knows what she’s doing and has asked her not to do it or he’s clueless about what she’s doing. Whatever he knows, or doesn’t know, the notion that the girlfriend of the major college head football coach has become a chronic thorn in the side of the institution becomes a potentially major problem for the coach.
That’s the practical impact of her public-records side hustle. It will absolutely impact the manner in which UNC views Belichick. Which will make the bar a little higher for him to earn a third season at UNC.
Already, there’s a sense that Belichick is on the hot seat entering the 2026 season. If firing him means not having to deal with Hudson, firing him becomes a more attractive option. Which means that, if it’s ultimately a close question, Hudson’s antics could turn a decision to keep him for a third year into an announcement that he has been terminated.
Does Hudson not realize how this will impact UNC’s attitude toward her boyfriend? Or does she know it and not care?
This wrinkle serves only to make a strange situation borderline bizarre. Belichick, the ultimate no-distractions/"do your job” head coach, has created a massive distraction through his personal life, one that continues to create developments that take the focus away from what the Tar Heels are trying to do.
Broaden the lens. When has the spouse or significant other of a college or pro head coach created so many issues? (Or any issues?) Hudson has consistently interjected herself into Belichick’s job, and the general reaction has been consistently negative.
Still, she seems to revel in it. Beyond craving fame, she embraces notoriety. At the potential expense of her boyfriend, whose eight-figure job would seem to take precedence over her effort to find ways to get people to write or talk about her in advance of whatever reality-show endgame she may have in mind.
The saddest part of the saga is that she’ll find a small minority on social media who will loudly cheer her on. Even as a vast majority of largely silent observers will constantly be asking themselves questions like, “What the hell has Bill Belichick gotten himself into?”
A.J. Brown has caught passes from Ryan Tannehill, Marcus Mariota, Jalen Hurts, Gardner Minshew and Kenny Pickett. Now, after a trade to the Patriots, the wide receiver has Drake Maye as his quarterback.
In nine days, Maye has made a favorable impression with Brown.
“The talent speaks for itself. He can make any throw,” Brown said, via Khari Thompson of Boston.com. “But, I think what’s more impressive to me is that he knows what he’s doing. To be that young and to understand the defenses and to understand every little check, the hots, the blitzes all those things, so young, so fast, it’s very impressive. I really admire that. He knows what he is talking about. He demands everybody else to know as well. He’s a true leader of men. It’s crazy to see at a young age.”
Maye has made the Pro Bowl each of his first two seasons and led the Patriots to the Super Bowl in the 2025 season, and Brown can understand why.
“It’s hard not to get excited,” Brown said. “What a player he is, and just right off the bat, what a great teammate so far. He was eager to learn. He’s great with the guys in the locker room, and we just look forward to playing with a guy of that caliber.
“I know he’s been a great player in this league. He’s gone everywhere. He’s been a guy that you see on SportsCenter the next day, making plays and scoring. The best thing about him, he’s been a winner. He knows what it’s like to win, and he’s someone in that room that we were looking for. I think that’s the best thing.”
In his first year under head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, quarterback Drake Maye finished second in MVP voting while leading New England to Super Bowl LX.
As one would expect, Maye told reporters this week that he’s feeling a lot more comfortable with the scheme now as compared to 2025.
“I think it’s just naturally night and day from last year this time,” Maye said in his Wednesday press conference. “I was trying to get things right, trying to get guys knowing where I was making calls and getting guys lined up. Now we’re just taking the next steps.
“That’s the best thing about this time. You get to work on those things and also work on executing. That’s the best thing Coach McDaniels does, pushing me hard. He’s challenging me, and just trying to get comfortable here in OTAs, and getting comfortable with just doing things, being out here and just making throws. There’s a reason and there’s a why to it. That’s the best thing about Coach McDaniels. He’s so good about explaining that why and helping me get to know that why so I can play faster.”
As for where he’s improved the most, Maye noted that’s a little difficult to gauge in part because that’s what he’s trying to do right now, during the end of the offseason program.
“I’m just focused day-to-day and really not trying to pinpoint an area,” Maye said. “I’m trying to get better in all areas. I think it’s hard to pinpoint that. I think one thing is just making the right decision in the first few seconds I have the ball in my hand. Making the right decision, knowing sometimes incompletions are the best plays, not trying to hold the ball too long and get out of the habit of really trying to extend plays just because I feel like I haven’t extended a play in a while.”
Maye finished the 2025 season having completed 72 percent of his passes for 4,394 yards with 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He led the league with a 113.5 passer rating.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts spoke to reporters on Wednesday for the first time since wide receiver A.J. Brown was traded to the Patriots and he was asked about comments Brown made about their relationship last week.
Brown said “nothing happened, people just grow apart” when asked about Hurts and that he thought both men accepted that sometimes “you just you find yourself drifting away” despite being closer when Brown first joined the Eagles. Brown said he still hopes Hurts accomplishes “everything his heart desires” and Hurts said he couldn’t push back at someone else’s feelings.
“I’m not in the place to challenge anyone’s perspective on anything,” Hurts said at a press conference. “Seemingly so, it was. That’s where I am. I’ve always been focused on the collective. I’ve always put my energy towards that. As a leader, I’ve always put an onus on giving maximum effort to achieve the shared mission we have in the team.”
Hurts said before the trade that nothing can take away what he and Brown accomplished as members of the Eagles. He returned to that theme when asked if he’s disappointed about how things came to an end.
“You come into it and you have a sense of pride in how it began, and definitely what we were able to accomplish,” Hurts said. “The same thing I said last time, nothing can take that away. For the great things that we did, now it’s time to focus on achieving great things with this new iteration of the team.”
Hurts has a new offensive coordinator to go with a revamped receiving corps, so there will be plenty of on-field matters to keep the quarterback occupied heading into the regular season.
One of the biggest beneficiaries of the Patriots bringing in receiver A.J. Brown should be quarterback Drake Maye.
While New England had Stefon Diggs as its top wideout last season, Brown will bring another level of effectiveness to the club’s receiving corps.
“It’s hard not to get excited,” Maye said of adding Brown in his Wednesday press conference. “What a player he is. You start off the bat, what a great teammate so far. I mean, he’s eager to learn, he’s great with the guys in the locker room, and just look forward to playing with a guy of that caliber. I know he’s been a great player in this league. Everywhere he’s gone, he’s been a guy that you see on SportsCenter the next day making plays, scoring.
“And the best thing about him is he’s been a winner. He knows what it’s like to win. And, obviously, adds something to that room that … we were kinda looking for. That’s the best thing I think Stef provided for us last year, and [we have] guys that are growing in their roles. But just coming in with that stature, his ability, and his size — just the respect that you walk in there with that kind of Stef had, A.J.’s got it, too.”
Listed at 6-foot-1 and 226 pounds, Brown’s physicality and ability to bring in a jump ball are part of what has Maye so enthused about adding the wideout.
“It’s really just on me to give him a chance to touch it, because more times than not, he’s going to bring it in,” Maye said. “So, that’s exciting. And just knowing that a slant or something, a quick out — something that you can just give him the ball, he can break some tackles. He’s tough to tackle, and guys don’t want to tackle him.”
Brown, who turns 29 at the end of the month, caught 78 passes for 1,003 yards with seven touchdowns in 15 games last season.
The Patriots traded for receiver A.J. Brown, who is now unquestionably their No. 1 weapon at the position.
But could they still bring back another veteran wideout?
Mike Vrabel did not outright dismiss the possibility of re-signing free agent Stefon Diggs when asked if it’s under consideration during his Wednesday press conference. But he did not seem particularly interested in the possibility either.
“I think we [are] probably at the number that we would need right now,” Vrabel said. “I wouldn’t say anything is off the table. We would want to add anybody that could help us. I’m not going to give a percentage on it, but I think we’re happy with where we’re at right now with the numbers and the people in the receivers’ room.
“I appreciate Stefon as a person and as a player and what he did for us last year — I’ll value that. Helped us win football games. Helped us get to where we got. But right now, I don’t think that’s something that I think we’re exploring. But I would never say no.”
Diggs is arguably the best receiver available in the current market. Despite coming off a torn ACL, he caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards with four touchdowns in 17 games last season. He also had 14 receptions for 110 yards with one TD in four postseason games.
It’s been more than two months since the story of the offseason landed out of the blue, courtesy of photos from the New York Post and (more importantly) clear and strong denials from the people involved.
Although the drip-drip of worthwhile developments has ended (that hasn’t stopped some from using anything/everything they can to harvest clicks and video views), there’s one unresolved issue that apparently will remain that way, into the summer.
Via Oli Coleman of the New York Post, The Athletic executive editor Steven Ginsberg recently provided an internal update regarding its investigation into the reporting of Dianna Russini, given the evidence that emerged of her relationship with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel.
“It’s going to take a few more weeks,” Ginsberg reportedly said. “There’s just a lot to go through, and we obviously want to take our time and be careful doing that. We will update everybody when we get to the end of that. We’ve also said that if we find anything that needs to be corrected, we will correct it along the way.”
In her April 14 resignation letter, Russini repeated her strong denial of wrongdoing that blamed the media for engaging in “self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts.” The Athletic continued its investigation after her departure.
It’s unclear why it has taken so long for The Athletic, which is owned by the New York Times, to finish its investigation. As Coleman notes, the delay is creating internal concerns.
For now, it appears that The Athletic intends to continue its investigation, to conclude it, and to share its outcome. Even if The Athletic doesn’t publish any final report, chances are that someone within the broader Times apparatus will get it, and leak it.
Even without publication of the report (or a leak of it), The Athletic may go back and “correct” past reporting.
It’s a delicate balance for The Athletic and the Times. Photos of Vrabel and Russini from March 2020, which emerged after her resignation, raise questions about the quality of the vetting process and/or the oversight of Russini. Basically, what did management know, what should it have known, when did it know it, and when should have been known? A full and transparent investigation could make the publications, which already look bad as to their initial statement on the matter, come off even worse.
Brushing it all under the rug won’t be acceptable, either. The issue highlights pre-existing tensions between the Times and The Athletic. Will the employees of The Athletic be held to the same standard as employees of the Times?
Hovering over everything The Athletic says or does is the possibility of litigation, if Russini continues to adhere to her denials and is willing to back them up by filing a defamation case against anyone who says otherwise.
