KANSAS CITY, Mo. — NBC Sunday Night Football Color Analyst Cris Collinsworth has no doubt Patrick Mahomes' next contract, which the Chiefs are able to negotiate for the first time this offseason, will be the most lucrative in NFL history and will reset the league's quarterback market.
Collinsworth, a Pro Bowl wide receiver who played eight seasons in the 1980s with the Cincinnati Bengals, discussed that and a wide range of topics Friday via videoconference with 41 Action News on the heels of the 2020 NFL schedule release.
"There's no question he's going to be the highest-paid player in the history of the league ...," Collinsworth said of Mahomes. "If it comes in at anything less than $50 million (per year), I'd be really surprised."
#Chiefs are hoping to be the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since the '05 Patriots.
— Aaron Ladd (@aaronladd0) May 8, 2020
I asked @CollinsworthPFF why it's so difficult for teams to repeat. @41actionnews | #RunItBack | @Chiefs pic.twitter.com/oTwGEcjVr0
Questions still remain about the NFL timeline for reopening team facilities and allowing teams to gather for practices amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but Collinsworth said the tumultuous offseason could benefit the Chiefs despite the possibility OTA and training camp cancellations or disruptions.
"The fact that the Kansas City Chiefs played a month longer than anyone else," Collinsworth said, "and, for the most part, they're bringing their veteran players back — it's going to give them a little bit of an advantage, because they know their offense. They know what they're going to do."
The Chiefs are scheduled to open the league season Sept. 10 against the Houston Texans, a Thursday night opener broadcast exclusively on NBC stations, including 41 Action News. But there's a lot more questions than answers about how we get from today to the opener and what things will look like four months from now.
"We really don't know what we're going to get," Collinsworth said. "That's the bizarre part about this whole thing. Anything is possible still here. Anyone who acts like they know anything right now is out of their minds. We're all just watching and reacting."
