Back in July of 2020, Patrick Mahomes signed his 10-year, $503 million contract extension with the Kansas City Chiefs. Ever since then, Chiefs’ general manager Brett Veach has used the deal’s structure to create the amount of salary cap space he thinks he needs to take care of the business to keep the newest NFL dynasty alive and thriving.

His cap hit for 2024 was set at $58.6 million, according to Spotrac. Following the move, his numbers against the cap are estimated to be $37 million in 2024, $66.2 million in 2025 and $68.6 million in 2026.

By restructuring the contract, the Chiefs now have almost $22 million in extra cap space to use in their free agency adventures.

“Restructured” typically means that teams will be taking the base salary due to a player over an NFL season and paying all of it to them before the season begins. Then, it can be considered a signing bonus whose impact on the salary cap may be spread over the life of the contract — but never more than five years.

And the shuffle comes at the perfect time for Kansas City.

Last week, the Chiefs and star defensive tackle Chris Jones reached an agreement on a five-year deal that contains $95 million guaranteed in what became the largest salary ever for a defensive tackle, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

With the franchise faces returning, and key pieces remaining, Kansas City can continue their quest to bolster the roster in an attempt to win three straight Super Bowls for the first time in NFL history.

(Photo Credit: USA Today Sports)