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PATRICK Mahomes’ journey to the NFL could have looked a whole lot different had Name, Image, and Likeness deals arrived a little earlier.
Before being drafted 10th overall in 2017 by the Kansas City Chiefs, Mahomes was the star quarterback for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
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Brought in as a three-star recruit out of Texas’ Whitehouse High School, Mahomes wound up taking over as the Red Raiders’ starter late in his freshman year.
Over the next two seasons, Mahomes made another 25 appearances, passing for another 9,705 yards, 77 touchdowns, and 25 picks.
He was also an excellent rusher, totaling 676 yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground during his sophomore and junior seasons.
Mahomes ultimately opted to enter the draft in 2017, instead of returning for his senior season.
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However, in a recent interview with the NFL, Mahomes admitted this may not have been the case had NIL deals been around.
“It would have been a good amount of money. Especially for Lubbock, Texas,” he said.
“If I would have been able to get NIL, I probably would have stayed for my senior year.
“And who knows what the rest of my NFL history would have been?”
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NIL deals were ultimately legalized in 2021, with many college stars having earned millions in the years since.
For example, Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders is currently the nation’s highest-earning student-athlete with an average value of $4.7 million, as per On3.
His sponsorship deals include brands such as Beats by Dre, Google, Under Armour, and Mercedes-Benz.
Another student who has made the most of these deals is Olivia Dunne – the nation’s highest-earning female student-athlete.
The LSU gymnast is worth an average $3.9 million according to On3, having signed deals with Motorola, Nautica, and Grubhub among others.
She has also amassed a huge social media following of 13.2 million across all platforms, while also modeling for Sports Illustrated’s two most recent Swimsuit editions.
By comparison, Mahomes’ fully guaranteed rookie deal with the Chiefs was worth over $16.4 million over four years which included more than $10 million as a signing bonus.
Patrick Mahomes’ endorsements
Patrick Mahomes earns over $50 million per season from his Kansas City Chiefs contract.
But the superstar quarterback also cashes in on his brand off the field.
Mahomes has a reported net worth of $70 million.
And that’s in no small part down to some of the brand he endorses.
The Chiefs star is the face of Adidas in the United States and appears in State Farm commercials.
He also pops up on adverts for Subway and Head and Shoulders.
Mahomes also became the face of energy drink Prime, which is owned by Logan Paul and KSI.
He later signed a new 10-year deal with Kansas City worth $450 million – over $141.4 million of which was guaranteed.
The deal also included a $10 million signing bonus.
While he may not have signed an NIL deal during his collegiate career, he is doing his part to help today’s Red Raiders stars.
It was announced on Friday that in collaboration with Adidas, he had formed the Team Mahomes NIL program.
The inaugural class features six of the school’s brightest young stars.
“Wreck ‘Em…Proud to announce the inaugural @adidas Team Mahomes NIL class,” Mahomes said in the announcement on Instagram.
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