Patrick Mahomes’ recent record-setting extension with the Kansas City Chiefs propelled him to the top of the NFL market, a rightful place for someone who has spent the past seven years as a Tier 1 selection in The Athletic’s annual Quarterback Tiers produced by Mike Sando.Mahomes takes over the top spot from the Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, who in 2024 became the first NFL player to reach $60 million in average annual value. Prescott signed that deal hours before the Cowboys’ 2024 season opener in Cleveland and blew past the previous high of $55 million set by the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow, Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence and Green Bay Packers’ Jordan Love.Mahomes had last signed an extension in 2020, with his 10-year, $450 million deal at the time giving him the league’s highest average salary. By 2025, he was making the same annually as Atlanta Falcons backup quarterback Kirk Cousins and trailed players such as the Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns, Kyler Murray, then of the Arizona Cardinals, and Tua Tagovailoa, then of the Miami Dolphins. Cousins, Murray and Tagovailoa were all released in cap-saving moves this offseason, and Watson’s contract might be the worst in NFL history.With Mahomes’ new deal, here’s a look at what the top of the quarterbacks market — players with at least $50 million AAV — looks like in 2026: