Dominate the Super Bowl-Chapter 1553 - 1552: The Ten-Year Agreement

Beach, sea, sunshine—Miami’s afternoons are always like this, bright and radiant.

Yet, Li Wei’s confident smile drew all the gazes and focus toward him, even the roaring wind and waves seemed to vanish.

"JJ, we all know a three-peat is as hard as reaching the sky, but since we’ve already achieved it, why not continue to strive for more wins?"

"We want to try for a four-peat."

In an understated, calm manner, Li Wei did not hide his uncertainty, just like the famous phrase that swept across the entire League back then, "I have no confidence, but we will win,"—it’s a belief, a belief that no matter how difficult the obstacles, we can rise to the challenge and make the blood boil.

"Not just in the NFL, but in other competitive professional leagues as well, maintaining top form for four consecutive seasons and successfully reaching the championship is incredibly challenging. Therefore, we urgently need to bolster our roster—we can’t arrogantly refuse change while basking in the glow of success."

"And you, JJ-Watt, are the missing piece we need."

"A player with both personal ability and team spirit, someone with individual intimidation who can change the outcome of the game, and most importantly, a player who can bring about a transformative impact on the defensive front and determine victory or defeat."

"Oh, it sounds like me."

Poof.

Amidst Li Wei’s rambling words, a joke slipped in, and Watt couldn’t help but laugh.

However, Li Wei remained particularly calm, continuing without a ripple.

"But aside from me in the League, you’re the only one who fits such a requirement."

"So, JJ, I’m now inviting you to Kansas City to chase history and create miracles with me. Are you ready?"

"A four-peat is very hard, very hard, possibly even beyond imagination, and I can’t make any promises."

"Maybe after trying our best, we’ll still end up failing, maybe you’ll be branded a traitor for coming to Kansas City yet can’t fulfill the Super Bowl dream, maybe we’ll only be teammates for a season or two, maybe we’ll find after working together that distance brings beauty—anything is possible, nothing is guaranteed."

"But, JJ, I hope to fight alongside you, to challenge the limits together."

"I have no confidence, but I want to try."

The howling wind and roaring waves stood no chance against Li Wei’s firm voice as it struck directly at Watt’s heart, that confident and determined smile shining brilliantly in the sunlight, so dazzling and bright that even the vast expanse of golden sunlight seemed to dim.

Involuntarily, Watt was stunned.

Thump. Thump.

The heart, beating faster and faster, stronger and stronger, rolled over with waves of refreshing yet scorching energy.

...

In 2020, the off-season gradually unfolded. Although the free market hadn’t opened yet, and there was still some time before the Rookie Training Camp, the League was already surging with undercurrents, early signs of a stirring tempest could be felt.

The reason lies with the Kansas City Chiefs.

After dominating the Super Bowl with an undefeated season, the Chiefs’ renown reached a new pinnacle, laying the foundation for a new dynasty.

However, the truly terrifying matters were yet to come.

Carefully examining the Kansas City Chiefs’ player roster and salary cap situation reveals that this young team’s salary cap structure is sound, not facing too many challenges. They don’t need to handle complex contract extensions and even have room to adjust their roster in the draft and free market—

Everything is in a virtuous cycle.

In other words, the Kansas City Chiefs do not have to face the hard salary cap pressures like other championship teams, which forces them to auction off players, resulting in significant roster changes and uncertainties for the new season.

Revisiting the time after last season’s championship defense, the Kansas City Chiefs recognized the problem, decisively and ruthlessly overhauling the defensive group while maintaining peak performance in the offensive group. Their foresight and boldness are admirable, akin to the inspired selection of Li Wei and Mahomes in the first round of the 2017 draft, worthy of respect.

Now, the Kansas City Chiefs’ team roster and configuration have entered a virtuous cycle, allowing roster adjustments without major overhaul.

This also means that in the new season, the Kansas City Chiefs remain the team to beat in the entire League, the most formidable contender for the Super Bowl following their three-peat, now they are ready to chase the unbelievable and incredible four-peat—

Without a doubt, no one in the League wants to see this happen.

Apart from Kansas City, the Kansas City Chiefs are now the Public Enemy of Everyone.

Amidst this, Veach remains calm, fully aware of their situation.

Be prepared for danger in times of safety!

Veach once again demonstrates his boldness and wisdom, refusing to take victory and championships for granted, rejecting passively conservative actions, insisting on maintaining their current team roster without ceasing improvement and breakthroughs.

In Veach’s perspective, this roster, while able to sweep the League last season, holds no assurance to continue as victory generals in the coming season. Everything in the world is in constant change, and this is especially true for the NFL.

Just as they pursued change after completing last season’s title defense, Veach has remained busy after this season’s three-peat.

The entire League inside and out is closely observing Kansas City, not wanting to miss any detail, even trivial ones like how many donuts Veach has for breakfast, monitoring their every move.

And then, the bombshell arrives—

The Kansas City Chiefs and their quarterback Patrick Mahomes reach a consensus, completing a contract extension a year early before his fourth year begins.

Boom! Boom boom boom!

To be precise, it’s not surprising, as after the Kansas City Chiefs completed Li Wei’s contract extension last year, industry insiders have heard rumors that Veach’s next target was to secure a contract extension with the team’s cornerstone quarterback.

Despite some difficulty and setbacks—quarterbacks are different from running backs, after all—both the team and the agent weighed their chips, the tug-of-war negotiations were far from simple; ultimately, Mahomes mutually agreed with the team.

Thus, the bombshell was not wholly unexpected.

However, even with the anticipated result, the League still erupted in shock.

This was a ten-year, $503 million contract, $477 million of which is guaranteed; furthermore, from 2022, each time they win the Conference Championship or regular season MVP, Mahomes would earn a $1.25 million bonus.

In terms of annual salary, contract duration, or guaranteed amount—all set records, stirring the entire League, surpassing Major League Baseball’s Mike Trout to claim the highest contract among North America’s Four Major Sports Leagues.

History, again history, still with the Kansas City Chiefs, the only difference being this time it’s Mahomes.