Squeeze Your Ketchup On Steak With A Side Of Cash, Mahomes
No big deals until the offseason, is what Patrick Mahomes’ agent Leigh Steinberg said after the Kansas City quarterback got off to a very hot start in the 2018 National Football League regular season. While Steinberg has mainly kept to his word, Mahomes has continued to perform with excellence on the field, which has made it somewhat difficult for the duo to completely refuse extra riches.
On December 19, it was announced that Mahomes struck an off-field endorsement deal with Hunt’s ketchup brand. The Chiefs QB loves ketchup — he says he puts it on everything from steak to mac and cheese — so it figures to be a perfect relationship for Hunt’s and Mahomes.
While financial details surrounding the deal have not been revealed, Steinberg recently said that most of Mahomes’ expected endorsements will be valued at around $500,000.
Steinberg made it clear that many more off-field endorsements will be announced during the offseason. One potential deal includes the creation of a breakfast cereal called “Patty Flakes,” which reminds many of the “Flutie Flakes” brand previously produced by NFL veteran quarterback Doug Flutie.
Ultimately, Steinberg and Mahomes probably figured that they were taking too much of a risk by leaving money on the table. With a hungry Hunt’s brand looking to immediately associate itself with Mahomes and Mahomes publicly revealing that he would get bottles of ketchup for his birthday, this was a deal that just did not have cause to wait for the offseason. Further, it is the type of genuine deal that more athletes should be considering as opposed to “selling out” as an endorser.
The loser in all of this? It is undoubtedly the brand that is attached to the Pittsburgh Steelers stadium. Heinz offered Mahomes free ketchup for life if he throws fifty-seven touchdowns in 2018. Even if Patrick Mahomes hit the threshold, which will likely not occur, he would turn it down now that rival Hunt’s is lining his pockets.
