With the NFL Top 100 out, the MVP odds, PFF ratings, and Super Bowl predictions are flooding social media with endless commentary about the inevitable decline of the Kansas City Chiefs, one man will make sure that never happens until he hangs up his cleats.
In April 2017, now General Manager, Brett Veach stood on his desk and shouted to everyone who could hear him: drafting Patrick Mahomes was crucial to the Chiefs’ organization and their mission to return to the Super Bowl.
We all know how that turned out, but do we truly grasp the impact of Draft Day and the rapid pace of the last seven seasons with Mahomes as the starting quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs?
My hero growing up was the late Len Dawson, but for the modern-day fan, they don’t understand the role he played in leading the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl victory against the Minnesota Vikings on January 11th, 1970.
What Chiefs Kingdom now understands is that Patrick Lavon Mahomes II is as great as it gets, both as a person and a football player.
Forget the statistics for a moment; he’s happily married to his wife, Brittany Mahomes, has three children, and if you watched the ESPN series about the Chiefs, you saw glimpses of how much he’s matured as a man.
Yet, some judge him solely based on his NFL success. What they overlook is that Mahomes is the complete package. He’s a mix of Mahomes, Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, Brett Favre, Muhammad Ali, Wayne Gretzky, and Michael Jordan.
He’s put his own spin on the quarterback position, and though some doubt it will last, I’m curious why critics of his success refuse to celebrate his remarkable achievements on the field and at home.
Mahomes’ five Super Bowl appearances have earned him three new Lombardi trophies for the franchise. However, critics point out that he’s lost two of the five games in which he’s led the Chiefs’ offense.
Yet, for Mahomes, after that bitter Super Bowl LIX loss, he was in the training room days later, working to dismiss the narrative that the Chiefs’ success is fading into the NFL sunset.
Reality shows that’s not the case. We’ve seen how Mahomes responds to losses in the playoffs and Super Bowls. When he loses one, he finds a way to win more of them.
For the Chiefs Kingdom, they will stand behind Mahomes against jealous and uninformed fan bases who are eager for 15 minutes of fame on social media. They believe that will be the main story for future losses and setbacks, but Mahomes uses that as jet fuel to push past the sound barrier of success.
As we prepare for the 2025 season opener in São Paulo, Brazil, against the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday evening, Mahomes is now entering his eighth year as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback.
During that time, he has competed against the best, and when you include all his playoff appearances, he’s played through an entire season in January and February. He’s set postseason and regular-season records, and with one more Super Bowl win, he will give the franchise its fifth such victory, matching the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco.
If he wins two more Lombardi Trophies, the Chiefs would tie the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers for the most in this exclusive club with six.
Mahomes is motivated by a force we’ve never seen in Kansas City. As a longtime fan, I admire the Chiefs’ starting quarterback because, as he turns 30 this year, he never settles for shortcuts.
Not only does he take the high road in victory and defeat, but he’s also motivated to leave his mark as the greatest NFL quarterback of all time. Forget that he’s chasing Tom Brady, who won seven Super Bowls; he’s building a legacy for the next generation of quarterbacks.
And the best part is, he’s doing that in a Kansas City Chiefs uniform.
So, as you watch the season opener Friday night, enjoy the moment and remind yourself that you are witnessing one of the greatest NFL players to ever step on the field.
Patrick Lavon Mahomes II is your quarterback, and you should never forget that!
