Thursday, April 30, 2026

Watson vs. Mahomes

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL kicks off tonight as the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs host the Houston Texans at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Texans signal caller Deshaun Watson are both coming into the season with impressive new contract extensions. 

  • Thursday’s game at Arrowhead Stadium will be one of two Week 1 games with fans in attendance. The Chiefs will host up to 16,046 fans, roughly 22% of the stadium’s full capacity.
  • Mahomes had a big summer, signing a record-breaking 10-year contract extension worth up to $503 million. He also became a minority owner of the Kansas City Royals and got engaged to longtime girlfriend Brittany Matthews.
  • Not to be outdone, Watson recently signed his own four-year, $156 million contract extension that included a $27 million signing bonus. It trails only Mahomes’ deal as the largest in NFL history.

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