Legacy in jeopardy: Why what happens next is so critical for the Kansas City Chiefs
Half an hour after the Chiefs captured their first Lombardi Trophy in 50 years, as quarterback Patrick Mahomes stood behind a lectern in Miami, he pondered whether it was the beginning of something long-lasting. If the Chiefs could turn one Super Bowl into two, two into three, and become the NFL’s next dynasty.
“(We’ll try) to put together great years,” he said, “and then at the end of it all, we will have no regrets where we are at.”
That was then.
This is the reality now: Two years later, the Chiefs are relegated to spectators on Super Bowl Sunday, a role they occupied for decades, but one that’s wholly unfulfilling when you have this team and that quarterback.
A dynasty? The clock is ticking.
The Chiefs were built to turn downtown parades into events as frequent as birthday parties, but championship opportunities in the NFL are too rare, too unpromised, to be certain any more will come.
In an offseason that arrived two weeks too soon, the Chiefs are about to transition into the second act of Mahomes’ career. This phase entails the richest contract in North American sports history, a marvel in a salary capped-league that is unforgiving to outlier contracts.
The work gets harder from here, in other words.
Just ask around.
The Seattle Seahawks were once earmarked to become the league’s next dynasty, equipped with a young quarterback surrounded by defensive talent. They had reached two Super Bowls, won one of them, and then, as the quarterback’s cap number ballooned, they disappeared into last place in the NFC West.
We’re still steps away from that in Kansas City.
But one step closer.
The Chiefs have the burden — yet also the privilege — of being defined by playoff success, not their run of consecutive AFC West division championships or regular-season victories. This is the territory in which they now reside.
Think that’s unfair? A week ago, while playing in a Pro Bowl in which he never wanted to play, Mahomes implied this season’s failure will stick him forever. Or at least until the Chiefs reach another Super Bowl. That’s not a bad thing. His best moments tend to come from his lowest.
Some 20 years from now, the manner in which the Chiefs respond will carry just as much weight as the Super Bowl trophy they returned to Kansas City two years ago.
They can still deliver another.
But they better, right?
The days of just-give-me-one-so-I-can-die-happy don’t apply. Seven-plus years ago, as the Royals celebrated their first World Series in 30 seasons, the scaffold for the rebuild sat across the street. We’ll remember those Royals for 2014-15, not for what followed.
The Chiefs don’t have that luxury. They didn’t face the impending departures of marquee free agents, an uncapped league or the understanding that you’d better enjoy the ride because it will soon come to an end.
The legacy of the Mahomes Era hinges not just on what he has already provided, but equally on what comes next. A once-in-a-generation talent must be the center of more than a once-in-a-generation celebration.
Mahomes is still just 26. He’s still accompanied by coach Andy Reid, tight end Travis Kelce, wide receiver Tyreek Hill and other key players. This team will still be the Super Bowl favorite on some Las Vegas betting sheets next season.
The Chiefs should win another championship before Mahomes’ decade-long contract expires. But they should have beaten the Cincinnati Bengals two weeks ago. Sure as heck should have been able to hold an 18-point lead on their home field.
And it just won’t get easier. In fact, in many ways, it’s just the opposite. The Buffalo Bills acknowledged they had constructed their roster to beat the Chiefs this season, and that’s not going away, even as the Bengals represent the AFC in the Super Bowl against the L.A. Rams on Sunday.
Opposing defenses revamped or ignored their typical schemes when they played the Chiefs this season. That doesn’t happen against the league’s other 31 teams. The Chiefs managed to find a solution, only to revert to old problems during their second-half breakdown in the AFC Championship Game.
“Right now things don’t seem great because of the loss,” Reid said, “but I think the future here is still bright. So we look forward to moving on to the 2022 season and getting ourselves built back up after we take a step back here.”
Sure. But the pressure’s on. Mahomes will carry that personally. He already does.
After the Chiefs’ second-half collapse against the Bengals two weeks ago, Mahomes pondered his immediate reaction — how the loss sat with him in its initial aftermath. He mentioned, in order: 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
“A few plays here and there,” he said, “you could have four chances at the Super Bowl.”
He traveled back in time to answer a question about the present. That’s a quarterback wrestling with shaping his own legacy. Wrestling with what could have been. No way to be certain of what’s next.
He will always be the leader of a core group that ended the franchise’s Super Bowl drought, the man who rode shotgun as the Chiefs paraded down Grand Boulevard two years ago for the first time in half a century.
So why does it feel like it isn’t enough?
Because it’s not.
Not yet.
This story was originally published February 13, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Legacy in jeopardy: Why what happens next is so critical for the Kansas City Chiefs."