The Kansas City Chiefs were previously well above the permitted salary cap for the 2026 NFL season. Now, the franchise has adjusted quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ contract.

No team was as far above the permitted salary cap for the 2026 NFL season as the Kansas City Chiefs. Before the official start of the league on March 11, general manager Brett Veach had some homework to do. Now, a big step has been taken toward a clean balance sheet. The Chiefs have restructured quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ contract to significantly reduce the playmaker’s cap hit for 2026.
According to various reports, $54.45 million of Mahomes’ 2026 salary has been converted into a signing bonus. The advantage: unlike a guaranteed base salary, a signing bonus can be spread over the entire contract period – or a maximum of five years – for salary cap purposes.

Originally, Mahomes would have entered the 2026 season with a cap hit of $78.2 million. As a result of the restructuring, the 30-year-old will now only cost his franchise’s salary budget $34.65 million for the coming season – a saving of more than $43 million.

Chiefs still above the salary cap

This means that the Chiefs are currently only slightly more than $14 million above the permitted salary limit. By the March 11 deadline, the total salary must be reduced to below the salary cap of $303.5 million.

For Mahomes himself, the restructuring changes very little. He will receive the signing bonus in full at once in the near future. Only his weekly pay in the 2026 season will now be significantly lower.

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However, it remains to be seen whether the three-time Super Bowl MVP will even be fit for the start of the season. Mahomes tore his cruciate ligament last season, but he himself is confident that he will be able to play in week one.