Mahomes signs record $504m Chiefs deal, but is the roster good enough?

Patrick Mahomes is worth over half a billion dollars to the Kansas City Chiefs.

A two-year extension announced Wednesday pushes the total value of his deal to $504.75m, with an average annual value of $64m from 2027.

"This is a landmark deal for a once-in-a-lifetime player," general manager Brett Veach said in a statement.

'Once-in-a-lifetime' does a disservice to the likes of Tom Brady, but Mahomes is in the same ballpark after winning three Super Bowls before the age of 30.

Mahomes has earned every cent, but has Veach surrounded him with enough talent to make that investment count?

Mahomes' return to health won't fix everything

Mahomes tore his knee in Week 15, but by then the damage was already done, with the Chiefs lagging behind their AFC West rivals even before that point.

Three months on, he's been spotted in Chiefs footage and is reportedly ahead of schedule, which is the most important news of the offseason for a franchise desperate to rebound.

But the injury didn't cost them the season. A talent deficit elsewhere did. So, have they done enough to improve the roster in the offseason?

Kelce, Sneed, and Bieniemy is a start

The offseason has had a certain theme. Kansas City has gone back to what it knows.

Travis Kelce, 36, signed a three-year deal rather than retiring, giving Mahomes the same security blanket he's relied on for the better part of a decade.

Cornerback L'Jarius Sneed is back on a one-year, $5m prove-it deal after two underwhelming seasons in Tennessee, eager to prove his injuries and poor form since leaving Kansas City are a thing of the past.

Eric Bieniemy's return as offensive coordinator is probably the most significant move of the three.

Having won two Super Bowls in Kansas City last time around, he certainly has what it takes to help the unit rebound.

Other Chiefs offseason additions

Running back Kenneth Walker, the Super Bowl MVP, was a major offseason get for Andy Reid and Co.

He's a huge upgrade over Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt and will ease the burden on Mahomes and the passing game.

"It'll be beneficial for Pat," Veach said earlier this year. "I don't think we want him back there dropping back 50 times a game to start the season.

"That is going to be something we're looking forward to, and certainly with [offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy] coming back here, with his running back roots, there's going to be a high priority with that run game."

The other free agency acquisitions, including safety Alohi Gilman, wideout Tyquan Thornton, and defensive tackle Khris Tonga are no world beaters.

As always at this time of the year, it's far too early to judge the rookie class, but in cornerback Mansoor Delane, defensive tackle Peter Woods, and edge rusher R Mason Thomas, it looks like the Chiefs aced the 2026 NFL Draft.

But they had to, after watching a trio of excellent players walk out of the door in Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson and safety Bryan Cook.

Where are the Chiefs roster gaps?

Veach came into the offseason with question marks at right tackle, receiver depth, edge rusher and in the secondary.

Pick whichever one worries you most, because none of them have been convincingly addressed.

If Jaylon Moore is the answer at right tackle, Mahomes better be on his toes, and Rashee Rice's off-field situation threw a spanner in offseason preparations at wideout.

There's no proven edge rusher behind George Karlaftis until Thomas gets up to speed, and unless Delane hits the ground running and Gilman returns to his 2023 best, the new secondary will be a downgrade on the 2025 version.

It's a lot to ask of young players in a win-now environment, which, with Mahomes under contract until 2033, this situation very much still is.

So have the Chiefs done enough?

Not yet, and that's not a damning verdict so much as an accurate one.

The nucleus is solid. Mahomes, Walker, Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith give the offense a foundation worth building on, and Chris Jones, Karlaftis and Bolton are quality pieces on the other side of the ball.

But many of the pieces around them are untested, unproven, or both, and the rest of the AFC is not waiting.