ESPN analysts give Kansas City Chiefs positive future outlook

The Kansas City Chiefs got positive reviews from ESPN analysts Field Yates, Louis Riddick, and Mike Sando as they broke down the three year outlook for every team.

It seems like recently a lot of analysts are down on the Kansas City Chiefs. Despite the fact KC has finished the past two seasons with over ten wins, there are some calling for them to have a losing record this year. However, ESPN’s Field Yates, Louis Riddick, and Mike Sando have a different outlook for the Chiefs over the next three seasons.

The three NFL analysts sat down and took a look at every NFL team’s outlook for the near future. When it was all said and done, the Chiefs came in with the eighth best three-year outlook. Not too shabby for a team that doesn’t even have a GM yet. In fact, Kansas City was rated as the fourth best team in the AFC.

What the panel really seemed to like about Kansas City is the overall strength of the roster. The Chiefs were credited with having the fourth best roster in the NFL. So even though the quarterback situation rated towards the middle of the pack, there is a lot of faith in the rest of the team.

A Lot Rides On Mahomes

There was an overriding theme in the breakdown on the Kansas City Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes will need to step up and be ready to go quickly for the best interests of the organization. Of course, that’s nothing we didn’t already know, but an analysis like this kind of puts an emphasis on things.

“Sure, Mahomes could become a bust, but other quarterbacks with significant question marks have met or exceeded expectations under Andy Reid.” ~ ESPN’s Mike Sando

Louis Riddick made mention of the financial impact, saying: “QB Alex Smith carries a $20.6 million cap charge in 2018, $17 million of which would be wiped off the books if released.” That is a huge change in the Chiefs financial situation that depends on Mahomes being ready next year. That is the elephant in the room right now.

On top of the financials, there is also the on-the-field principle. The Chiefs need Patrick Mahomes to be a good quarterback. However, he is still a project with a lot of question marks. Still, as Mike Sando pointed out: “Sure, Mahomes could become a bust, but other quarterbacks with significant question marks have met or exceeded expectations under Andy Reid.”

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Of course, no analysis comes without its fair share of criticisms and hiccups. The Kansas City Chiefs do have some pressing concerns about the future. The obvious one is the current GM situation…since Kansas City doesn’t have one. That is a major question that needs to be answered, and a fair criticism until it is.

Another concern for Chiefs Kingdom is that the Raiders were rated as the seventh best team over the next three years. The Broncos also came in as the 15th team (seventh in the AFC). That means the Chiefs are looking at some tight competition in the AFC West over the next couple of years, if these breakdowns are accurate.

However, the overriding theme of this breakdown was definitely positive. The Chiefs have a lot going for them right now, and have laid the foundation for the future. A lot of this will ride on Patrick Mahomes, but Kansas City can remain hopeful for the next few years.

The Kansas City Chiefs are coming into the 2017 season with a good deal of confusion. However, this is still a strong team with one of the best coaching staffs in the NFL and a roster to match. The Chiefs should absolutely be in contention this year, and we now see that some analysts have them trending upwards.