Vinay Kumar
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’ 2026 pay cut turns a $78 million problem into short-term breathing room
Mahomes’ original 2026 number was never realistic in a $300 million-ish cap world. Per Over The Cap and multiple reports, Kansas City converted around $54.4 million of his 2026 compensation into a signing bonus.The key detail is how that bonus hits the cap. As The Athletic’s Jacob Robinson explained, signing bonuses can be spread over up to five years. Instead of one massive $78.2 million charge in 2026, the Chiefs now carry a smaller 2026 hit of about $34.6 million and push roughly $10.9 million onto each of the next four seasons.On paper, Mahomes gets his money faster. In cap terms, the team buys time. The total still adds up to the same $78.2 million, but the pain is stretched out so Kansas City can function in 2026 instead of being strangled by one year of Mahomes’ deal.The catch sits on the back end. Reports already project his 2027 cap hit to land in the $85 million range, with more than $50 million per year following after that unless the contract is touched again. This restructure is a short-term fix, not a permanent solution.
The Chiefs need Mahomes’ pay cut to tear into an aging, expensive roster
Kansas City did this because the rest of the roster is a mess against the cap. ESPN reported the team was already in the red before the Mahomes move, and other projections had the Chiefs tens of millions over the limit. Either way, they were not close to compliant.Defensive tackle Chris Jones is the next flashing red number. According to Over The Cap, his 2026 cap hit is about $44.8 million, the highest for any non-quarterback in the league. As Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap noted, the Chiefs are expected to adjust that deal next, or at least force a decision between another restructure, an extension, or something more drastic.There are other problem contracts. Offensive linemen Jawaan Taylor and Trey Smith both sit above $24 million for 2026. Edge rusher Mike Danna carries an eight-figure hit. At the same time, Kansas City needs to add real help after a 6-11 season in which Mahomes posted career-low starter numbers in passing yards and touchdowns before his knee injury.The draft will not be cheap, either. With the Chiefs picking at No. 9 in the 2026 NFL Draft, multiple reports estimate that slot could cost around $7 million per year against the cap. Free agency, even for second-tier pieces, will require more room.Mahomes’ restructure gives general manager Brett Veach a chance to act. He can try to repair the offensive line, decide how far to go with Jones, and chase another playmaker without cutting half the locker room. But every move now stacks onto those swollen cap hits waiting in 2027 and beyond.If this reset works and Kansas City gets back to January football, the cap gymnastics around Mahomes will look like smart risk. If the roster overhaul whiffs and the losses keep coming, this “pay cut” will be remembered as the moment the Chiefs kicked a very big can straight into their future.
