Patrick Mahomes might end up getting even richer than we thought

“Patrick Mahomes is going to make a lot of money — a whole lot of money. More money than... it’s just going to be a lot.”

NFL insider Ian Rapoport appeared to be at a loss for words to describe just how much money the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback could get under the contract extension the Chiefs want to negotiate with him.

In a report that aired on Tuesday morning, Rapoport threw around some numbers that are substantially larger than the ones we have seen in other informed speculation.

“He is going to be the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL,” Rapoport said. “And from what I understand, I wouldn’t be surprised if his number started with a four rather than a three — which would be huge... and deserved.”

We’ve previously seen speculation that Mahomes’ contract could reach (or exceed) $200 million. But that was when Mahomes had simply been named NFL MVP in his first year as a starter. Now he’s also a quarterback who has also won a Super Bowl (and been its MVP) in his second year as a starter. It is against this backdrop that Rapoport is now saying “he wouldn’t be surprised” if the number could be above $300 million — perhaps as much as $400 million.

Is Rapoport getting his information about the potential size of the contract from sources familiar with the thinking at Arrowhead or in Mahomes’ camp — or instead from the ubiquitous “league sources” making a guess based on Mahomes’ record-setting performance this postseason, leading his team from double-digit deficits to comfortable victories in three consecutive games?

We just don’t know.

Rapoport also said that his information says that a deal isn’t likely to be reached until the new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and the NFL Players Association has been made. The current CBA expires at the end of the 2020 season.

”It’s not expected to happen until after the new CBA deal is reached, because everyone needs to know the landscape and the factors they’re working with,” he said.

Does that mean the league and the union are close to a deal now? Or does it mean that finalizing Mahomes’ contract might be a year away, since it might take that long for a new CBA to be agreed upon? Or are Rapoport’s sources simply thinking that it would be impossible for the team and its quarterback to make a deal so large under the current CBA, which only allows a signing bonus (likely to be a big chunk of Mahomes’ deal) to be prorated over five years?

Rapoport said that he expects negotiations to begin soon.

”From my understanding, this is expected to happen this offseason — now that the game is finished,” he reported. “No one wanted to do anything contractually that would take any focus off the Super Bowl — certainly nothing that would take any focus off the other playoff games. So everything has been status quo. Now that they are done, they’re going to get through this week — obviously get through the parade — and any other festivities.”

That’s a lot to unpack from Rapoport’s brief report. But we can be certain of two things: Mahomes is going to be a very rich man — and the Chiefs are going to do everything they can to be the team that makes him one.