The Kansas City Chiefs are entering uncharted territory. For the first time since Patrick Mahomes took the reins of the team, they'll have a full offseason to prepare for the 2026 campaign, and they won't face a first-place schedule.
The Chiefs struggled to stay afloat and didn't even make the playoffs, ending Mahomes' AFC supremacy. It was the first time he didn't lead the team to the AFC Championship Game at the very least.
Nevertheless, this wasn't on him. He kept his team in games when everything was against him, and he's still one of the best in the game. That's why it's not much of a surprise to see Mahomes draw MVP predictions ahead of his revenge season:
"We don't even know if Mahomes will be ready for Week 1 yet due to his knee injury, and he hasn't been quite the same player over the past couple of seasons. But it would be foolish to ignore Mahomes' history as one of the greatest to ever play the position. I'm not willing to doubt him," ESPN analyst Seth Walder wrote.
The Chiefs will have to give Patrick Mahomes some help
Not even the biggest Chiefs hater can deny that Mahomes is in a tier of his own. His recent numbers may not always reflect that, but that's not on him. Chiefs' playmakers time and again have failed to play up to the standard, and there's only so much one person can do in a team sport.
As such, there will be no more margin for error at One Arrowhead Drive in 2026. Rashee Rice will have to prove that he's worthy of keeping around despite all of his drama off the field, and Xavier Worthy will finally have to play like a former first-round pick. As for Travis Kelce, expecting a 1,000-yard season at this point in his career isn't realistic, but he's had way too many drops and tipped-ball interceptions in the past couple of years. He also needs to clean up his act.
Mahomes has attacked his rehab as aggressively as he plays. He's striving to get back on the field in Week 1, and judging by some viral clips, it's safe to say that he's definitely on track to achieve that ambitious goal.
Patrick Mahomes handing the ball off to Kenneth Walker at OTAs
— The Goal Line Grind (@theGLgrind) June 3, 2026
You can tell he's still struggling to cut off that left ACL but looks good considering where he's at in the recovery process. pic.twitter.com/9TQCe4I3aT
But even if that's the case, the Chiefs need to keep him out of harm's way. They still need someone reliable to line up opposite left tackle Josh Simmons, as the now 30-year-old QB may not be as mobile early on in the season -- or maybe the entire year.
It feels like general manager Brett Veach failed his best player this offseason. He didn't do much to get Mahomes more weapons or better protection. Of course, Kenneth Walker III should change everything for the running game, but they also need pass-catchers.
People should know better than to put their hard-earned money against Patrick Mahomes by now, but they will continue to pray for his downfall. That's a bet that has rarely paid off, and now that he's thirsty for revenge and looking to prove that he's still got it, we can rest assured that he'll attack anything that gets in his way back to the top, just as he has with his injury rehab head on.
Add us as a preferred source on Google