Fourth-best in the NFL? Chiefs players scoff at the thought, voice support for Mahomes
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes found his name in the middle of a social media firestorm Wednesday night.
Not for anything he did, mind you.
The NFL Network unveiled the final members of their annual Top 100 List as voted on by players around the league. And Mahomes, the first half billion-dollar player in all of sports, came in at No. 4.
Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald finished third in the voting, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was second and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, the league’s 2019 MVP, was No. 1.
All are elite players, for sure, but ranking Mahomes, the NFL’s 2018 MVP and Super Bowl-winning MVP this year, at No. 4 prompted some head-scratching among teammates who also made the Top 100.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu, who was ranked No. 39. “Pat has been handling his business since he’s got in the league, so maybe he doesn’t have that many fans in the league.”
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who finished No. 18, seemed to agree.
“The NFL poll is what it is,” Kelce said said during a Thursday afternoon Zoom call. “I mean, it’s TV-land. I don’t want to harp on what happens in TV-land, but everyone has their opinion and everyone has their favorites.”
The Chiefs had six players on the NFL’s annual list: Mahomes, Mathieu, Kelce, wide receiver Tyreek Hill (22nd), defensive tackle Chris Jones (52nd) and defensive end Frank Clark (95th).
An argument can be made that right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, regarded as one of the best at his position, deserved to be on the list.
But Mahomes’ listing ignited the most debate. And staunch support for the 24-year-old QB, especially among Chiefs supporters.
To fully grasp how Mahomes might have finished where he did, it helps to have an understanding of the voting process. The league hands out ballots to players during the regular season and votes are turned in at the end of the regular season. Players have higher priorities during a given week, such as practice and preparing for games, than filling out ballots.
As they’re concentrating on getting ready for upcoming opponents, diving into research for voting purposes tends to take a backseat.
“I feel like a lot of guys, we don’t watch that much TV,” Mathieu said. “So, when we do, we can kind of get caught up into whoever ESPN is saying is having a really good season.
“And, to kind of be honest, most of the times when we vote for this it’s after practice and we don’t really want to be there. So, guys are kind of looking at each other looking like, ‘Hey, who’s having a good season?’ We just kind of put the names down.”
That could help explain how Jackson and Wilson finished at the top on this year’s NFL’s rankings. The two signal-callers were locked in a tight race throughout the 2019 regular season as front-runners for this year’s MVP award, and their highlights typically headlined the sports shows on television.
Mathieu said that at the end of the day, having players involved in the voting process is still a good thing, and he wouldn’t change how the league handles it.
Well, with one exception.
“I’d just probably get that list to the players before practice,” Mathieu said. “That way, you can actually think about who to vote for.”
And there’s little doubt what Mahomes means to the Chiefs, his teammates and Kansas City, anyway. He already owns numerous team and league records, led the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl victory in 50 years, recently signed the first half-billion dollar contract in sports history and joined the KC Royals’ ownership group.
So while the voters might’ve believed that Mahomes was the fourth-best player in the league, his teammates are happy to set the record straight about his value.
“I think he’s the best player in the National Football League,” Kelce said emphatically. “You can’t tell me there’s a better quarterback than him, that’s for sure. You can turn on whatever film you want; he’s the best player in the National Football League, in my mind.”
Mathieu, the Chiefs All-Pro safety, agreed.
“We all feel like he’s not only the best player in the NFL, but one of the best teammates, as well,” Mathieu said.
Thornhill, Rankin to PUP list
Safety Juan Thornhill’s surgically repaired knee won’t ready for action when the team begins camp. The Chiefs on Friday placed Thornhill and offensive lineman Martinas Rankin (knee) on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
Thornhill suffered a torn ACL in the final regular-season game of 2019. Rankin had a knee injury in Week 10. In the event Thornhill and Rankin are not activated from the PUP list for the start of the regular season, they won’t be allowed to practice at all with the team during the first six weeks of the season.
In another roster move, the Chiefs waived undrafted free agent wide receiver Aleva Hifo, an undrafted rookie out of BYU, after activating him from the reserve/COVID-19 list.
This story was originally published July 30, 2020 at 4:42 PM.
