Contractual Differences: Shocking Chasm Between Patrick Mahomes, Trevor Lawrence

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is on the verge of setting a new NFL record by potentially becoming the fastest player to reach 300 career touchdown passes, including postseason games, in his upcoming Monday Night Football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. If he throws two touchdown passes in this game, which would be his 138th career game, he will surpass Aaron Rodgers, who achieved this milestone in 147 games.

Mahomes currently has 298 touchdown passes in 137 career games, averaging 2.2 touchdowns per game, and recently set a record for the fastest to 250 regular-season touchdown passes in 116 games. This achievement highlights his exceptional performance, as only 16 players in NFL history have reached 300 touchdown passes, with Tom Brady leading at 737 and Drew Brees following with 608. Notably, Hall of Famers like Johnny Unitas and Len Dawson never reached this mark in their full careers.

In contrast, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft, has accumulated 79 touchdown passes in 66 games, averaging only 1.2 per game. This comparison underscores Mahomes' higher scoring rate, which also exceeds Tom Brady's career average of 1.9 touchdowns per game over 383 games.

Additionally, salary data reveals that Lawrence is tied as the second-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL at $55 million annually, while Mahomes ranks tied for 14th at $45 million per year. Mahomes recently restructured his contract to provide the Chiefs with cap space for free agent signings, further emphasizing his value to the team beyond individual statistics.