Meet the Super Bowl star who makes less in a year than teammate Patrick Mahomes makes in a week

NFL MVP favorite Patrick Mahomes will lead the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl 57.

Heading into their third championship game in four years, the Chiefs have familiar names like Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Chris Jones to depend on come game day.

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But a lesser-known rookie looking to make his mark is Nazeh Johnson.

Johnson, a seventh-round pick by the Chiefs in 2022, faced a number of hurdles on his way to a Super Bowl appearance.

After graduating from Millbrook High School in Virginia, security continued at Marshall, where he defied all odds and worked his way up to a key role and scholarship.

In five seasons with the Thundering Herd, Johnson played in 52 games and accumulated 177 tackles, seven interceptions and nineteen passes defended.

In 2022, he beat the odds again, becoming only the fourth player to be drafted by Marshall since 2015.

Johnson was selected 259th overall by the Chiefs and was at his best throughout training camp before being released before the season began.

However, his time in Missouri was far from over. Shortly thereafter, he was reinstated in the practice squad, and finally made a permanent roster less than a month later in late September.

And according to Johnson, his achievements are all about “being a good person.”

He told WSAZ3: “It’s just about doing your best and just working and also being a good person because I feel like I’ve come a long way in life just because I’m a good person.

“That carries more weight than what you do on the field, I believe.”

Johnson is now on a two-year contract and is expected to earn a base salary of $587,500 in cash this season and $870,000 in 2023 should he remain with the roster.

Despite being miles above the national average salary, this year he’s making less than Mahomes in a week ($777,885).

Mahomes, on the other hand, signed a new ten-year deal worth $450 million back in 2020.

Regardless, Johnson braves the odds week after week, taking him from a college walk-on to an August waiver before forging a role as a core player on a special team.

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