On Monday morning, ESPN’s Field Yates continued his yearly NFL positional rankings based on the voting of league insiders. This time, he focused on quarterbacks. While the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes has been taken down a peg (or two or four) in some of the rankings we have seen this offseason, the league’s executives, coaches and scouts see it differently.
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Highest ranking: 1Lowest ranking: 4Age: 29Last year’s ranking: 1
Mahomes’ grip on the top spot is loosening slightly. After dominating the voting with back-to-back No. 1 rankings in convincing fashion, Mahomes garnered around 60% of the first-place votes this year, which is still impressive but well short of last year, when he received all but one first-place vote.
He has finished eighth in QBR the past two years; from 2018 through 2022, he finished first or second four times. Rarely does Mahomes look as frazzled as he did vs. Philadelphia in Super Bowl LIV.
But context is key with these discussions, and Mahomes’ modest-by-his-standards performance in 2024 (3,928 yards, 26 touchdowns, 11 interceptions) requires a lot of it.
“OL in decline, particularly at tackle, WR group completely cleaned out by injury, [Travis] Kelce not near the same player,” a veteran NFL coordinator said about Mahomes’ supporting cast. “I thought he had more command of time/score/situation and better fundamentals from within the pocket than ever. He’s a one-man army. And no NFL coach wants to deal with him. Complete dawg. No one like him. Maybe [Joe] Burrow, but Burrow isn’t as dangerous as a player.”
Mahomes still leads the NFL in virtually every passing category — from passing yards to touchdowns and yards per attempt — since becoming the starter in 2018. No quarterback was more efficient on third down than Mahomes last season. He led the NFL in third-down QBR (90.4) with a league-high 53.1% of his passing attempts resulting in first downs.
An AFC scout noted that Mahomes “probably doesn’t have that same fear factor” from opponents that he had a few years ago but also expects him to bounce back in 2025, with a healthier receiving corps and a rebuilt offensive line.
Mahomes is squarely in his prime, but he must contend with three elite quarterbacks also in their late-20s arc who are gaining on him.
“Other guys played great,” an NFC executive said, explaining why he voted Mahomes fourth. “He took a little step back based off the last few seasons. I don’t expect it to last.”
My take
At last! A ranking that isn’t based on volume stats (such as passing yards, touchdowns and interceptions), goes well beyond what can be seen in a box score and — doesn’t mark down a top-tier competitor just to elevate a flavor-of-the-season player.
I mean no disrespect to Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and others — all of whom deserve to be (and are) listed highly in this ranking — but Mahomes is still The Man. We know this because he led his team to consecutive Super Bowls with less-than-elite wideouts (and offensive tackles) at his disposal. The quote from the “veteran NFL coordinator” bears repeating:
“I thought he had more command of time/score/situation and better fundamentals from within the pocket than ever. He’s a one-man army.”
Someday, Mahomes won’t deserve that description. But this isn’t that day. Just ask the guys who have to figure out a way to beat him.
I’m well aware: some of those guys figured out a way to do exactly that in Super Bowl LIX. But the next time, that method won’t work — because Mahomes learns very well from his occasional defeats. The next time, they’ll have to try something else.
Good luck to them.
