{"id":244457,"date":"2025-08-31T13:30:15","date_gmt":"2025-08-31T17:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=244457"},"modified":"2025-08-31T13:22:52","modified_gmt":"2025-08-31T17:22:52","slug":"chiefs-mahomes-intriguing-contract-broncos-chargers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/08\/31\/chiefs-mahomes-intriguing-contract-broncos-chargers\/","title":{"rendered":"Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Lands on \u2018Intriguing\u2019 Watchlist Before Season Opener"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/08\/29\/chiefs-get-reality-check-about-ominous-patrick-mahomes-trend\/\" target=\"_self\">Patrick Mahomes<\/a> remains a lightning rod in NFL circles, from the ongoing officiating debate to the G.O.A.T. conversation, to the, for lack of a better term, ridiculous things he has done on the football field. Mahomes is inarguably one of the \u201cmost intriguing players\u201d in the NFL.<\/p>\n<p>That much was asserted in an article from The Athletic\u2019s Mike Jones, who ranked Mahomes as the third-most intriguing player in the league entering the 2025 regular season.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, Jones says Mahomes remains the \u201cbest player in the league.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Patrick Mahomes Lands on Watchlist Ahead of Chiefs\u2019 Season Opener<\/h2>\n<h3>Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Ranked 3rd-Most \u2018Intriguing\u2019 Player<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cJosh Allen and Lamar Jackson may have overshadowed Mahomes at times last season, but he still reached the Super Bowl for the fifth time in seven seasons. And a porous offensive line and injury-riddled receiving unit may have cost Mahomes and the Chiefs the first three-peat in the modern era of pro football,\u201d <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6579053\/2025\/08\/31\/nfl-most-intriguing-players-rodgers-parsons\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jones wrote<\/a> on August 31.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t be fooled: Mahomes remains the best player in the league. A load of motivation, an upgraded offensive line and a healthy wide receiver corps have him positioned to rebound in a mighty way. Is a third MVP crown and fourth Lombardi trophy in his immediate future?\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Is Patrick Mahomes primed for another MVP run?<\/p>\n<p>The Chiefs\u2019 offense looks explosive again \u2014 and Kay is here for it \ud83c\udf86<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/heykayadams?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@heykayadams<\/a> | <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ChiefsKingdom?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#ChiefsKingdom<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Ls6e6TqhWh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/Ls6e6TqhWh<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Up &amp; Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UpAndAdamsShow\/status\/1960065895390486982?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 25, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Mahomes, who turns 30 in September, is coming off a perceived \u201cdown\u201d individual season. He still completed a career-high 67.5% of his passes. But Mahomes\u2019 yards and touchdown passes dipped for the second straight season.<\/p>\n<p>He also absorbed a career-high 36 sacks and posted the second-worst Total QBR of his career as a starter.<\/p>\n<p>Mahomes posted his worst Total QBR with the Chiefs in 2023.<\/p>\n<h3>Patrick Mahomes Victim of Own Success<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_239375\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-239375\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-239375\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25379356-scaled-e1752175031253-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs\" width=\"640\" height=\"361\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25379356-scaled-e1752175031253-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25379356-scaled-e1752175031253-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25379356-scaled-e1752175031253-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25379356-scaled-e1752175031253-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25379356-scaled-e1752175031253-2048x1154.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-239375\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) takes the field before Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Mahomes\u2019 recent downward trend has been a source of intrigue, and, in many ways, the QB has himself to blame. Much of the issue for Mahomes stems from changing personnel around him, particularly on offense.<\/p>\n<p>The Chiefs have had to turnover their wide receiver room multiple times since trading <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/08\/12\/tyreek-hill-fantasy-outlook-value-wr2-wr3-with-upside\/\" target=\"_self\">Tyreek Hill<\/a> in an effort to curtail expenses and reload while paying Mahomes.<\/p>\n<p>They have also had to re-work their offensive line amid issues, specifically at the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/08\/30\/former-agent-drops-telling-take-on-chiefs-polarizing-80-million-starter\/\" target=\"_self\">tackle spots<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Mahomes is in Year 4 of his <a  href=\"https:\/\/ftp.overthecap.com\/player\/patrick-mahomes\/5594\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">10-year, $450 million contract<\/a>. He is nowhere close to the end of his prime, and he showed a renewed level of dedication to preparing for the upcoming season, which bodes well for the Chiefs.<\/p>\n<p>Still, as the supposed \u201cbest player\u201d in the NFL \u2013 despite ranking behind <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/07\/28\/aaron-rodgers-true-colors-training-camp-after-olive-branch-terry-bradshaw\/\" target=\"_self\">Aaron Rodgers<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/steelers\/\" target=\"_self\">Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a>) and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/06\/25\/travis-hunter-fantasy-football-outlook-two-way-monster-or-part-time-receiver\/\" target=\"_self\">Travis Hunter<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/jaguars\/\" target=\"_self\">Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a>) \u2013 Mahomes must do more.<\/p>\n<p>The Chiefs will go as Mahomes goes, and that will be true until he is no longer with the club.<\/p>\n<h3>Chiefs Predicted to Have AFC West Streak Snapped<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_244184\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-244184\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-244184\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26908880-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26908880-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26908880-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26908880-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26908880-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26908880-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26908880-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26908880-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-244184\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aug 22, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis (56) and quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) and tight end Travis Kelce (87) and defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) watch play against the Chicago Bears during the second half of the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6584122\/2025\/08\/30\/nfl-2025-season-predictions-giants-broncos-jaxson-dart\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Athletic\u2019s Jesse Newell boldly predicted<\/a> that Mahomes would be backed by a Chiefs defense that would finish in the top three in sacks. They tied for the ninth-fewest in 2024 despite defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo\u2019s aggressiveness and the third-highest blitz rate.<\/p>\n<p>The Chiefs have won the AFC West nine years straight, but Newell\u2019s colleague, Nick Kosmider, predicted the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/broncos\/\" target=\"_self\">Denver Broncos<\/a> would overtake KC.<\/p>\n<p>The Broncos went 10-7 with a rookie at quarterback in <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/04\/23\/bo-nix-broncos-quarterback-dynasty-outlook\/\" target=\"_self\">Bo Nix<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Nix and the Broncos had the Chiefs on the ropes in Week 10 of last season, but KC blocked Denver\u2019s game-winning field goal attempt to seal the victory. Denver notched a 38-0 victory in Week 18, but that came with KC resting their starters for the postseason.<\/p>\n<p>An even bigger threat to Mahomes and the Chiefs\u2019 reign, though, could be <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/08\/16\/why-justin-herbert-playing-in-his-first-ever-preseason-game-is-critical\/\" target=\"_self\">Justin Herbert<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/chargers\/\" target=\"_self\">Los Angeles Chargers<\/a>. They finished second in the division in 2024 and could be better in 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Patrick Mahomes remains a lightning rod in NFL circles, from the ongoing officiating debate to the G.O.A.T. conversation, to the, for lack of a better term, ridiculous things he has done on the football field. Mahomes is inarguably one of the \u201cmost intriguing players\u201d in the NFL. That much was asserted in an article from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2879,"featured_media":239852,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[32094,7811,5579,1576,297],"class_list":["post-244457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chiefs","tag-bo-nix","tag-chiefs-featured","tag-justin-herbert","tag-patrick-mahomes","tag-tyreek-hill"],"modified_by":"Josh Buckhalter","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2879"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244457"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244457\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":244460,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244457\/revisions\/244460"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/239852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}