#Patrick Mahomes had no idea NFL allowed 10-year contracts

Following a Super Bowl title, earning Super Bowl MVP in the process, – a year after winning NFL MVP – Mahomes inked a 10-year contract worth up to $503 million to stay with the Chiefs for the foreseeable future. The deal is the richest in NFL history.

The 24-year-old star didn’t expect the extent of the longevity, however.

“There were two things I said when we went into negotiations: I wanted to keep great players around me and I wanted to have long-term security for my family,” Mahomes told CBS Sports. “I certainly wasn’t thinking 10 years. I didn’t even know NFL contracts did that.”

Before his deal, there were only five extensions of 10 or more years in NFL history. The last time it happened, however, came in 2004 when Michael Vick signed a 10-year extension with the Falcons worth $130 million.

The other four players to receive a deal for at least 10 years were Brett Favre, Drew Bledsoe, Donovan McNabb and Daunte Culpepper. All five deals before Mahomes occurred between 2001 and 2004, and none of those players completed their full contract with the team.

In his deal, Mahomes has $141 million in injury guarantees along with various mechanisms that make it difficult for the Chiefs to cut him without him receiving his salary.

“The best thing that happened was the Chiefs and my team, we went in with an open mind,” Mahomes said. “We tried to figure out what was not only best for me and my family, but also what was best for the team moving forward. In order to build something great, you have to have that open-minded communication.”