The Chiefs’ star QB won a Super Bowl and aided the community. getty images
Just before Patrick Mahomes declared for the 2017 NFL draft after his junior year at Texas Tech, his godfather and retired MLB pitcher LaTroy Hawkins asked him a simple question: “Are you ready to lead men?”
He didn’t just mean leading as all quarterbacks must by definition — he meant in every sense: in the locker room, the league, the community and across the country. Mahomes said yes, and in 2020 it happened.
Already an NFL MVP and a once-in-a-generation talent when the year began, Mahomes in 2020 escaped the limits of mere athletic stardom and ascended to the role of Kansas City establishment and face of the NFL.
For the 25-year-old, 2020 took on an air of too-good-to-be-true at times, from a fourth-quarter comeback drive to win Super Bowl LIV to a $503 million contract to a successful marriage proposal. Mahomes continued to expand his endorsement portfolio, securing equity as part of his promotional duties with BioSteel and Hyperice.
$503M
Value of Patrick Mahomes’ new 10-year contract with the Chiefs, the richest contract in North American sports history.
But Mahomes’ biggest off-the-field stories this year are less about his bank account and more about his place in the community. He acquired an equity stake in the Royals, a deal that ties him to the region as much as his own 10-year playing contract with the Chiefs did.
His 15 and the Mahomies Foundation helped pay for turning Arrowhead Stadium into a polling place on Election Day, an act that won the NFLPA’s Community MVP Award. The foundation continues to fund programs focused on quality-of-life programs for children in the region.
“Being a leader and the competitor he is, when he spoke, people listened — early in his career,” said Chris Cabott, CEO of Steinberg Sports & Entertainment. “And what started in the Kansas City locker room has spread to the Kansas City community, and has spread to the national stage. He says what he means, he means what he says, and he goes about things with class and dignity. When you do that, you speak and people listen. They respect that.”
Now, Mahomes is approaching the end of another dominant season, and the Chiefs — long mired in mediocrity before he arrived — are again the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl. He’s brought on his longtime trainer, Bobby Stroupe, in a full-time capacity, along with a personal chef, and continues to fine-tune his game.
Super Bowl LIV in Miami was a great moment, Cabott said, “but now that’s the past. The present is winning the next one.”
