Where Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Andy Reid pass amongst NFL’s all-time greats at their positions
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Andy Reid are amongst the 5 or 10 ideal of all-time at their respective positions they veritably’re as soon as as soon as more threatening to add to their legacies with one more that you simply likely can deem Well-organized Bowl breeze.
Final year, after the Chiefs’ thrilling 38-35 Well-organized Bowl LVII plot close over the Eagles, I requested our workers to vote on where the trio ranks appropriate now. Not what their trajectory is, but within the event that they retire as of late, where attain they stand? (The voters: Doug Clawson, Garrett Podell, Brett Anderson, Bryan DeArdo, Kevin Steimle, Jared Dubin, Zach Pereles, Jordan Dajani and Kyle Stackpole)
Their place of abode within the video games historical past did no longer substitute as a result of the 2023 fashioned season but they are as soon as as soon as more in your step of attractive up in those conversations.
Here’s a requirement finally year’s vote and what’s at stake the relief of this postseason:
High 10 Quarterbacks of all time
1. Tom Brady (unanimous)
3. Joe Montana
4. Patrick Mahomes
6. Dan Marino
7. Johnny Unitas
8. John Elway
9. Drew Brees
10. Brett Favre
Mahomes vote breakdown: No. 2 (1), No. 3 (2), No. 5 (2), No. 6 (3), No. 11 (1)
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Basically based mostly mostly on our community of voters, Mahomes is on the Mount Rushmore of the ideal quarterbacks in NFL historical past. He change into voted as excessive as 2nd and as low as 11th, and the consensus has him as the fourth-ideal quarterback of all-time between Joe Montana and Aaron Rodgers. No surprise on the dwell, Tom Brady is the consensus GOAT, getting all nine first-place of abode votes.
Case Mahomes needs to be elevated
Mahomes has performed one thing that no other participant within the historical past of the NFL has performed. Not even Brady, Manning or Montana — the three QBs sooner than him on this checklist. He has won two league MVPs and two Well-organized Bowl MVPs in a 5-season span. Now, there might possibly be no intention Mahomes has surpassed Brady as the GOAT, but you might possibly perhaps possibly argue his playoff resume is already more spectacular than Manning’s (14-13 playoff document, two Well-organized Bowls, one Well-organized Bowl MVP) and his fashioned-season credentials are catching as a lot as Montana’s, who is basically third here on story of a most fascinating 4-0 document within the Well-organized Bowl. Mahomes can manufacture plays that no QB within the dwell three can manufacture, and has a solid case for being the most talented quarterback of all time. It’ll be sophisticated to pass past Peyton Manning or Joe Montana with a Well-organized Bowl plot close this year, but you might possibly perhaps possibly finally occupy the argument. And, he’s unruffled on a trajectory to threaten Brady as the ideal of all-time
Case Mahomes needs to be lower
He’s easiest been a chubby-time starter for six years, so is he surely already a main-5 quarterback? Aaron Rodgers would possibly possibly moreover need one thing to bellow about that. Yes, Mahomes already has more rings and more convention championship journeys than Rodgers does, but Rodgers also has four league MVPs, in conjunction with attend-to-attend at ages 37 and 38. He belongs within the “most talented QB ever” dialogue and has been doing it for for a long way longer than Mahomes, as his 475 profession touchdown passes imply (Mahomes has 219). Johnny Unitas would also love a note. He has one more league MVP and championship (three of each and every) than Mahomes, change into the NFL’s all-time leader in touchdown passes and yards when he retired, and practically invented the 2-minute drill alongside with his grab play within the 1958 NFL Championship Sport identified as “the ideal game ever performed.”
High 5 Tight Ends of all time
1. Tony Gonzalez
3. Travis Kelce
4. Shannon Sharpe
Kelce vote breakdown: No. 2 (3), No. 3 (5), No. 4 (1)
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Kelce is the third-easiest tight dwell ever, per our panel, within the attend of Tony Gonzalez and Regain Gronkowski. None of our nine voters had Kelce as the ideal tight dwell ever, but all nine votes had him within the dwell four.
Case Kelce needs to be elevated
It is a worldly sell that Kelce needs to be No. 1 here, Tony Gonzalez has each and every the prime and longevity that surpasses Kelce. Gonzalez led all tight ends in receiving yards in a season, seven occasions, to Kelce’s four. He has the sixth-most receiving yards (15,127) in NFL historical past (no topic direct). Kelce would possibly possibly surpass Tony G in some unspecified time in the future, but his easiest case would possibly be sooner than Regain Gronkowski at No. 2. Kelce already has more profession receiving yards than Gronk, and easiest Jerry Rice has more catches, receiving yards and touchdown grabs than Kelce in a playoff profession. Kelce is the most fascinating tight dwell to steer a Well-organized Bowl-winning crew in receiving yards twice (he led the Chiefs in 2019 and 2022) and has had a ridiculous stretch of playoff video games over the final few postseasons.
Kelce has the same likelihood of 1,000-yard seasons in his 30s as Gronk had in his profession (four). The motive he would no longer surpass Gronk in any other folks’s minds is as a result of Gronk’s sheer all-spherical dominance. He has the same likelihood of first-crew All-Pro selections as Kelce (four), has led all tight ends in receiving yards as time and as soon as more as Kelce (four seasons), and is surely one of many most fascinating crimson zone threats in league historical past. When Gronk on the muse retired after the 2018 season, he had the third-most touchdown catches of any participant sooner than turning 30 in NFL historical past beyond easiest Randy Moss and Jerry Rice. He has 18 more profession touchdowns than Kelce and is widely thought a few bigger blocker. He also has more rings than Kelce. It’ll be fascinating to look for how productive Kelce is within the arriving years and if he can finally threaten Tony Gonzalez. Here is the most critical year where it looked love Kelce change into on the plot back of his profession in phrases of health and manufacturing.
Case Kelce needs to be lower
Kelce’s profession numbers are just about identical to Shannon Sharpe’s in phrases of Pro Bowl selections (nine vs. eight), first-crew All-Pro selections (each and every four), receiving yards (each and every over 10K) and touchdown catches (Kelce 74 vs. Sharpe 62). Sharpe final performed two decades within the past when the NFL change into no longer often a passing league. He also won two championships with the Broncos and one with the Ravens, so a case would possibly possibly moreover very successfully be made that he belongs sooner than Kelce. Another Well-organized Bowl title for Kelce would possibly possibly squash that.
High 10 head coaches of all time
1. Invoice Belichick (unanimous)
2. Vince Lombardi
3. Don Shula
4. Invoice Walsh
5. Chuck Noll
6. George Halas
7. Andy Reid
8. Tom Landry
9. Paul Brown
10. Joe Gibbs
Reid vote breakdown: No. 3 (1), No. 6 (3), No. 8 (2), No. 10 (3)
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Reid is the seventh-easiest head coach in NFL historical past, per our panel of nine voters. He change into within the dwell 10 for each and every voter, and whilst excessive as third. Savor Brady at quarterback, Belichick change into the unanimous No. 1, garnering all nine first-place of abode votes.
Case Reid needs to be elevated
He is the most fascinating head coach in NFL historical past to plot close the wins document for a few franchises, proving even this breeze with surely one of many ideal QBs of all time (Mahomes) is no longer any fluke, and Reid deserves his part of the credit rating. He made four straight NFC title video games with the Eagles and has now made six straight AFC title video games with the Chiefs, in conjunction with two Well-organized Bowl wins. He has the fourth-most fashioned-season wins in NFL historical past (258) and is believed about surely one of many ideal offensive minds the league has ever viewed (as Well-organized Bowl LVII as soon as as soon as more proved). He also has a surely a success teaching tree (unlike Belichick) that aspects John Harbaugh, Doug Pederson, Sean McDermott and Ron Rivera, amongst others. He’ll be within the dwell 5 dialogue with one more title. George Halas, who we ranked sixth, won 318 video games and 6 titles, but final coached in 1955 when there were 12 groups within the NFL. Reid also has 65 more fashioned-season wins than longtime Steelers coach Chuck Noll, who is fifth here.
Case Reid needs to be lower
Reid has zero Well-organized Bowls and a shedding playoff document (11-12) without Patrick Mahomes. On the opposite hand, by this good judgment, how is Invoice Belichick the ideal coach ever? If there might possibly be any motive Reid is lower, it has more to attain with the coaches he’s ranked sooner than. Joe Gibbs won three Well-organized Bowls with Washington within the 80s, Tom Landry coached the Cowboys dynasty within the 70s and Invoice Parcells coached two Well-organized Bowl champions and has possibly the most fascinating teaching tree of all time.
There you occupy it. Mahomes, Kelce and Reid are all firmly within the dwell 10 of all time and all borderline prime 5. Their legacies occupy made a huge leap within the final year or so and would possibly possibly threaten the Mount Rushmore of their positions with one more title. If this postseason is the rest love the past ones, the distinction between a Well-organized Bowl and an early exit would possibly be determined by the thinnest of margins. Final year, the Chiefs won the AFC Championship Sport and Well-organized Bowl on Harrison Butker topic targets within the closing 10 seconds following controversial (but accurate) penalties.
