How Much Do NFL Personnel Make Compared To Patrick Mahomes?

In 2020, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs signed the largest contract in American sports history. Mahomes signed on the dotted line for a record-breaking 10-year, $450 million contract¹.

In September of 2023, the Chiefs’ QB restructured his contract to shift money from the last five years of his contract to the first four. The revised contract gives Mahomes $210.6 million over the first four years through the 2026 season, with $56.85 million due in 2023.

How does Mahomes’ salary compare with NFL coaches, scouts, waterboys, cheerleaders, and other personnel throughout the league? For fun, let’s investigate how these NFL salaries compare to Mahomes’ staggering $56.85 million annual salary in 2023.

First, we will see how this translates to Mahomes’ earnings per minute, hour, day, and so on. The numbers should be quite jarring and eye-watering for anyone who has never crunched the numbers before.

Patrick Mahomes’ Salary Per Timeframe

The organization believed that it was prudent financially to ink the NFL’s top quarterback to a 10-year contract worth $450 million. He is only the sixth player in NFL history to have ever signed a contract for 10 years or longer.

Donovan McNabb’s 12-year contract, signed in 2002, remains the longest in the NFL². While McNabb made out pretty well with a $115 million deal, the largest at the time, it pales in comparison to the money that Mahomes is making, even with inflation taken into consideration.

The investment has already paid off swimmingly for the Chiefs, and the contract is only in its fourth year. With $56.85 million owed to Mahomes this year, let’s see how much the Chiefs are investing in the start QB across the various timeframes.

From this perspective, the $56.85 million deal per year looks even more impressive. Which number blows you away the most? The $156,184 earned per day is the number that makes our heads spin.

Mahomes makes more in one day than the average American does in a year. Furthermore, the two-time Super Bowl-winning QB makes more in a day than most NFL personnel make with their annual salary.

Patrick Mahomes’ Salary Compared To NFL Personnel

There is an overwhelming abundance of money to go around in the NFL. In 2022, the NFL’s annual revenue reached almost $12 billion, according to Forbes³.

Owners make the most money in the NFL. Players and coaches follow the owners as the biggest earners. What about everyone else employed by the league to make the NFL run smoothly?

Let’s dissect the most up-to-date NFL personnel salary data and put it all into context.

NFL Head Coach Salary

NFL head coaches are the highest-paid personnel in our Mahomes’ salary comparison. On average, an NFL coach’s salary is among the highest in professional sports in the US.

In 2023, the average NFL contract is worth $4,060,200⁴. With the average NFL head coach’s salary at $6,600,000 in 2023, they make more than the average player’s salary⁵.

Nevertheless, it would still take an average of 8.61 head coaches to equal Mahomes’ $56.85 million contract. The average NFL head coaching salary may be more than an average player’s, but Mahomes squashes both of them.

NFL Assistant Coach Salary

NFL coaches’ salaries are among the highest in the league. However, the number takes a tumble from head coach to assistant coach. The average NFL assistant coach’s salary is $400,000⁶.

That is a terrific yearly income. The vast majority of US citizens would gladly accept $400,000 for one year’s work. That said, Mahomes’ NFL salary towers over how much assistant coaches make.

To make up Mahomes’ annual salary, an average of 142 assistant NFL coaches’ salaries are required.

NFL Referee Salary

Many NFL referees have been known to officiate games as a side gig. In fact, the NFL considers officiating a part-time job. It is the only major professional sports league in the US that doesn’t employ full-time referees.

Nonetheless, NFL referees make out pretty well for a part-time job. In 2022, the average NFL referee salary was $205,000⁷. For a part-time assignment, refereeing NFL games isn’t a bad way to make a living.

It would be much nicer to be No. 15 of the Kansas City Chiefs, though. With $205,000 made per year, an average of 277 NFL referees equal Mahomes’ 2023 salary.

NFL Cheerleader Salary

In 2018, a number of NFL cheerleaders launched a lawsuit against the NFL for failing to fully compensate them and for allegations of abuse⁸. Since then, attempts have been made by the NFL to improve working conditions for cheerleaders.

However, the average NFL cheerleader salary will depend on the franchise. The Dallas Cowboys’ cheerleaders are the highest paid in the NFL, with an average salary of $75,000 per year⁹.

Taking into account the $75,000 average salary of Cowboys’ cheerleaders, it would take 758 to equal what Mahomes makes playing QB for the Chiefs in 2023.

NFL Mascot Salary

Have you ever wondered how much an NFL mascot makes? Currently, the average NFL mascot salary stands at $60,000. This is the type of money that applies to the average American.

In 2023, the average salary in the US is $59,428¹⁰. So, you might be able to assign your own situation to the NFL mascot’s salary. Mahomes needs less than half a day to make more than the average American does in one year.

A total of 947 mascots at $60,000 per year equals Mahomes’ annual salary of $56.85 million.

NFL Waterboy Salary

NFL waterboys are responsible for keeping the team hydrated. Not only are they present on game days, but NFL waterboys work during the week at training camp and practices throughout the year.

With an average annual salary of $53,000, many people would accept an opportunity to be an H20 specialist for an NFL franchise¹¹.

However, they’d make out much better as the star QB for the Chiefs. It would take 1073 NFL waterboys making $53,000 per year to match what Mahomes does in a year.

NFL Photographer Salary

For passionate photographers who are also football fans, working for the NFL has to be a dream job. How does the NFL photographer’s salary stack up against other NFL personnel’s salaries?

Currently, the average NFL photographer salary is the same as the average NFL waterboy salary¹². At $53,000 per year, according to Glassdoor, we need 1073 NFL photographers to equal Mahomes’ lucrative annual salary of $56.85 million this year.

NFL Scout Salary

NFL scouts play an integral part in the success of teams. Scouts spend most of their working hours on the road and analyzing game tape.

While countless hours are spent preparing reports for NFL franchises, the average NFL scout’s salary is not what you would think. Scouting directors can make over $100,000, but the average NFL scout’s salary is $40,000¹³.

If you are interested, there are teams hiring NFL scouting assistants right now. For instance, the New Orleans Saints have an opening and are currently accepting applications.

With an average NFL scouting salary of $40,000, the Saints would have to hire 1,421 scouts this year to match Mahomes’ $56.85 million contract.