Patrick

Mahomes

The move, according to ESPN’s Field Yates, will save $49.4 million against the salary cap in 2025. The team redid Mahomes’ deal after splurging in free agency on LT Jaylon Moore and CB Kristian Fulton, among other players. Mahomes had been slated to count as a $66 million cap hit in 2025. Mahomes, who turns 30 in September, is signed through the 2031 season.

“I’m gonna take some time to figure it out,” Kelce, 35, said Tuesday on his New Heights podcast. “And I think I owe it to my teammates that if I do come back that it’s gonna be a wholehearted decision and I’m not half-assing it, and I’m fully here for them.” In 2024, Kelce saw big drop offs in production and efficiency, finishing the season with the lowest yards per route run of his NFL career. He averaged 3.9 yards after the catch per reception, the lowest mark of his illustrious career with KC. Even so, Kelce trailed only Brock Bowers and Trey McBride in tight end catches last season. “I think I can play, it’s just whether or not I’m motivated or it’s the best decision for me as a man, as a human, as a person to take on all that responsibility,” Kelce said. If he steps away, the Chiefs would likely reconfigure their passing attack around Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice.

Mahomes was hammered for six sacks as the Chiefs’ protection completely collapsed, a la their Super Bowl LV loss to the Bucs. Besieged Mahomes didn’t help matters with two awful picks, one of which was housed for a pick-six. It had the feeling of a duct tape and glue production no longer “getting away with it.” As for the regular season, Mahomes’ statistical “slump” continued even as he led the Chiefs to a 15-1 record during his starts. He failed to eclipse 4,000 yards passing for the first time in seven years as starter and matched a career low with 26 aerial scores. Mahomes’ previous 26-TD campaign came when he was limited to 14 starts in 2019 by a knee injury. A painfully low average depth of target was accompanied by a career-worst 6.8 YPA. With any other quarterback, we would be talking about a drop-off, but weekly Chiefs observers know the deal. This is a super limited supporting cast, and Mahomes and company have opted for ruthless short-area efficiency over deep-game pyrotechnics. It’s an ongoing bummer for fantasy managers, but obviously the right call for Kansas City as it awaits for passing-game reinforcements. Once again limited to non-premium draft position ahead of a typically barren receiver free agent market, the Chiefs could look to add a front-line wideout via trade.

The theme of this dominance was: “Ope, let me just scooch on by you.” Mahomes took a first-and-goal from the 10 and ran it in without even being hit hard to put the Chiefs up 29-22 early in the fourth quarter. His first rushing touchdown came just after the two-minute warning in the first half, and he found Xavier Worthy in the air the drive before that to push the Chiefs to a 21-16 halftime lead. The Bills rallied to tie the game at 29, and sacked Mahomes on first-and-goal with 4:28 when Jordan Phillips picked up left guard Mike Caliendo and deposited him in Mahomes’ lap. But the Chiefs kicked a successful field goal to take the lead, stopped Allen on fourth down on their last drive, and Mahomes was able to drain the rest of the clock with a pair of flat passes to running backs Isiah Pacheco and Samaje Perine. Mahomes is dominant despite never appearing physically dominant. It makes him feel more unflappable than inevitable. He just knows too much about how to win an NFL football game, and really your team wasn’t that interested in winning anyway, right? The Chiefs will take on the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX two Sundays from now with a chance to become the NFL’s first franchise to win three titles in a row since the 1965-67 Packers.

And with that, the Chiefs have now made the AFC title tilt all seven years Mahomes has been starter. Stupefying. As was the case all season, it wasn’t necessarily a “convincing” win. It was also never really in doubt. Regardless of who wins Baltimore/Buffalo’s heavyweight fight Sunday, the talk all week will focus on the Chiefs’ supposed vulnerability. It’s just that, the next time we see it this season will be the first. Giddy up for what should be another classic.

Mahomes now gets multiple weeks off, with the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed safely secured. The Chiefs also declared TE Travis Kelce, DT Chris Jones, OT Jawaan Taylor, RB Isiah Pacheco, CB Trent McDuffie and DE George Karlaftis inactive, though beat reporter Adam Teicher notes that there “will be others in uniform who do not play.” Kareem Hunt is likely to be included in the latter category. The team listed him as doubtful to play on Friday although he is not injured.

Carson Wentz will draw the start this week. Reid didn’t name every starter getting the day off, but our best guess for the list of names includes Travis Kelce, Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, DeAndre Hopkins, Xavier Worthy, and Hollywood Brown. Expect others to make the cut as well. The Chiefs are massive underdogs to the Broncos this week, all but guaranteeing Denver a spot in the playoffs.

Mahomes was given all day to throw even against the Steelers’ defense, and he took advantage of it. The ankle did not appear to be bothering him at all, and he found Travis Kelce, Justin Watson and Xavier Worthy for scores in the blowout win on Christmas. This was also the first time he hadn’t thrown an interception since the overtime win over the Buccaneers. The Chiefs have clinched homefield advantage in the AFC with the win, and it’ll likely be a very short day for Mahomes in Week 18 against the Broncos.

Mahomes played on his sprained ankle in last week’s win over the Texans and wasted little time displaying his miraculous healing powers. He rushed for a 15-yard touchdown on the Chiefs’ opening drive and ended the day with 33 rushing yards on five carries. He was listed as a full participant on the Chiefs estimated practice report, which was released on Sunday. Mahomes’ ankle injury seems like non-issue ahead of Week 17’s game against the Steelers.

He added a 15-yard rushing touchdown as part of a 5/33/1 rushing line. So much for that high-ankle sprain! Kansas City’s receivers continued to have issues with holding on to open throws, most notably when Justin Watson got his hand on what would have been a sure touchdown in the second quarter. There also remains quite a bit of miscommunication in the Kansas City passing attack. Mahomes kept churning the Chiefs down the field though, converting 7-of-13 third downs and making sure the line was just unmemorable enough to be only moderately fantasy useful. The Steelers will be another test of the Kansas City offensive line in Week 17, and Mahomes will be on the QB1 borderline against Pittsburgh.