If you are of a certain vintage you will likely be familiar with the 1970s television show The Six Million Dollar Man, starring Lee Majors.
The actor played Steve Austin, a former astronaut and U.S. Air Force veteran who had superhuman strength, speed and vision after receiving $6-million worth of bionic implants from a fictional, top secret government agency.
Well, say hello to the sports world’s first half-a-billion-dollar man.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has signed the richest contract in sports history after he agreed to a 10-year extension with the Kansas City Chiefs.
When coupled with the final two years of his current contract, it means the 24-year-old could earn a whopping $503-million, including incentives, through the 2031 NFL season.
The 117-page mega-contract includes a $10-million signing bonus, a $49.4-million bonus due in 2026 and $25-million in incentives should he win the National Football League‘s MVP Award and reach the Super Bowl.
If we averaged out the $503-million over 12 years, Mahomes would make nearly $42-million a season and about $2.6-million per game.
Based on his statistics from the 2019 season, he would earn, on average, more than $86-thousand per pass attempt, $131-thousand per completion and $1.6-million per touchdown pass.
$141.4-million of Mahomes’ contract is guaranteed — much less than L.A. Angels slugger Mike Trout’s fully-guaranteed 12-year, $426.5-million deal, but still a hefty chunk a change.
The deal Mahomes just signed is a far cry from the contract Nolan Ryan inked with the Houston Astros in 1980 that made Major League Baseball’s strikeout king the first player to earn $1 million a season.
Boy, how times have changed.
Rick Zamperin is the assistant program, news and senior sports director at Global News Radio 900 CHML.