Patrick Mahones Could Be Screwed in Contract Negotiations With Chiefs After Latest Update on 2021 Salary Cap

From NFL MVP to Super Bowl MVP, Patrick Mahomes has assumed a number of titles, but now it appears he'll have a less flattering one: victim of circumstance.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues with no obvious end in sight, the NFL could be dealing with financial issues in the coming year. On the My Sports Update Football Podcast, NFL insider Adam Schefter said one possibility could spell trouble for top players like Mahomes.

Schefter said that teams are concerned that if the pandemic continues long enough, games will need to be played without a crowd. That means substantially less revenue for teams, and the current collective bargaining agreement outlines how salary caps are set based on revenue. Schefter says that means the salary cap could take a $30 million to $80 million dip in 2021, which could affect contract negotiations in a significant way for the league's top players.

Mahomes is the best quarterback in the league, but he's not being paid like it yet. He's expected to be making $40 million a year soon, but this possible salary cap hit could pull the rug out from under those hopes because the Kansas City Chiefs could be in an even more complicated financial situation. It would be a crushing blow for any argument Mahomes has in his impending negotiations, because if the money isn't there, he won't be able to earn as much as previously expected.

Both parties seem to want to do right by one another, but a huge cut in the amount of money Kansas City is allowed to throw around clearly affects how much Mahomes can earn -- or who else the team will have to boot from the roster before the start of 2021.

The Chiefs were already going to have to clear space on the roster to help pay Mahomes, but Schefter's prediction would mean losing more of that talent or asking their star quarterback to say goodbye to a monster record-setting contract extension.