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Kansas City Chiefs two-time MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes II received a message from the rest of the NFL when his fellow players ranked him fourth overall entering the 2024 season.
Some might call it one of jealousy. Others might say it’s bulletin board material for one of the most accomplished athletes of the modern era.
When asked about his ranking on August 7, however, Mahomes simply replied: “It is what it is.”
“At the end of the day, all I can do is go out there and play the sport that I love,” the Chiefs superstar added with a shake of his head and a chuckle. “The rankings are the rankings.”
In case you missed the unveiling of the NFL top 100’s best 10 players on August 2, ahead of Mahomes were San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (No. 3), Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (No. 2) and the real kicker — Miami Dolphins wide receiver and former KC teammate Tyreek Hill.
Ex-NFL Player Turned Analyst Rips Top 100 Ranking for Disrespecting Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes
Many came to Mahomes’ defense after the top 100 slight, including former NFL offensive lineman turned ESPN analyst Damien Woody on live television.
“You lose all credibility if No. 15 is not No. 1,” Woody said on ESPN. “That’s the thing that just jumps out to me. Patrick Mahomes — the most dominant player in the National Football League — is sitting there at No. 4.”
“A guy who’s trying to do something that no other player has ever done. Trying to win three Super Bowls in a row, and he’s sitting there at No. 4,” the former Pro Bowler went on. “And that’s not a slight against Tyreek Hill, Lamar Jackson and Christian McCaffrey… But again, you just lose all credibility when Patrick Mahomes is sitting at No. 4 and not at No. 1.”
NFL Network analyst Jeremy Bergman also agreed that the players got the Mahomes ranking “wrong.”
“There is little denying that Mahomes is the QB of his, and perhaps any, generation,” Bergman argued. “He has reached the level — perfect season or not, A-level talent at receiver or not — where he should be considered the league’s top QB or MVP every year until he retires or diminishes, whatever comes first; he’s in the LeBron stratosphere.”
“Lamar’s status as the league’s top signal-caller, meanwhile, is as seasonally fickle as his daily availability for practice,” the writer continued. “Mahomes is scheme- and talent-immune from an off year, and therefore should have been considered by the players as the top QB, if not the top player, in the league again.”
Despite the somewhat disrespectful player ranking, Mahomes won the 2024 ESPY for “Best Athlete in Men’s Sports,” as well as the 2024 ESPY for “Best NFL Player.”
Chiefs Plan to Play Patrick Mahomes 1 Quarter in Preseason Opener
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid also spoke on August 7, providing the gameplan for Mahomes and the rest of his team during the preseason opener.
“As far as the play time for this game, we’ll go [with] the 1s for a quarter… twos for the second quarter, threes the third quarter and the fours for the fourth quarter. And we’ll just keep it at that,” the Chiefs HC said.
That means Mahomes and the first-team offense will indeed take the field versus the Jacksonville Jaguars on August 10. The signal-caller will also likely get a series or two, depending on how quarter one goes.
In the past, one long drive has been enough to satisfy Reid while other times, you might see two or three series in one quarter if teams muster shortened drives.
Either way, in an era where most NFL teams are resting starters during the preseason, Reid and the Chiefs will continue to buck the trend. After all, it’s worked pretty well for them so far.
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