Explaining Patrick Mahomes' pay drop: QB’s 2026 cut in pay is really the Chiefs’ biggest cap trick

Patrick Mahomes has agreed to clean up the ugliest line on the Kansas City Chiefs’ books. According to ESPN, the quarterback signed off on a restructure that drops his 2026 cap hit from $78.2 million to about $34.65 million, freeing roughly $43.5 million in space.This is not a simple “pay cut.” Mahomes will still see elite money over the life of the deal, but the way he is paid is changing. After missing the 2025 playoffs at 6-11 and watching him tear his ACL in December, the Chiefs are using his contract as the main lever to rebuild around him.Mahomes’...