We’re officially in the NFL offseason. At the moment, all eyes are on the rookie class entering the upcoming NFL Draft. As mock drafts take off across the country, there’s a slight reprieve offered from last year’s Super Bowl madness in which The Kansas City Chiefs took home their second win since 2020.
Already, sportsbooks are zeroing in on next year’s winner. While most of the offseason revolves around the draft, trades, and signings, there’s also plenty of attention paid to futures markets. The current betting lines on the league favor the Chiefs to take home another consecutive Super Bowl win, with the Buffalo Bills and the Philadelphia Eagles close behind.
The idea of a repeat win isn’t totally out of the question. While it’s uncommon in the NFL historically, Tom Brady’s New England Patriots took home multiple consecutive wins. And it looks like Patrick Mahomes has created momentum with the current roster. Assuming Andy Reid keeps things mostly the same, will the Chiefs repeat as champions? Let’s dive into the possibility.
The Mahomes Factor
It’s impossible to win a Super Bowl without an over-achieving quarterback. While a QB’s technical skills have to be top-notch throughout the playoffs, there’s one ineffable skill that separates the stars from the legends: maintaining focus during situations of high stress.
Mahomes has been able to lead two comebacks during his Super Bowl performances and took home MVP awards for his efforts. Clearly, he’s got the chops to get the job done—and given his young age, there’s plenty of reason to believe that the Chiefs, under his leadership, are just getting started.
Reid Keeping the Roster Tight
No one was sure how the Chiefs’ decision to part with Tyreek Hill would pan out, but the Chiefs’ proved to handle the change in their stride. It seems that Reid isn’t going to focus on any major changes on the roster, and this means that the core of the Chiefs will remain the same. Some players won’t sign another contract with the Chiefs, but the team has a legion of rookies who are starting to show meaningful improvement. In other words, the roster is evolving where it needs to and staying the same where there’s nothing to improve.
Providing Protection for Mahomes
However, that doesn’t mean that Reid can leave his lineup as it is. Most notably, the team will be losing Orlando Brown and Juju Smith-Schuster. The latter isn’t particularly problematic. Though Smith-Schuster was a consistent boost for the team, the wide receiver isn’t impossible to replace.
Brown, on the other hand, would be a huge loss if they don’t manage to keep him. The lineman has made appearances in four straight Pro Bowls for good reason. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, Brown isn’t the only key offensive lineman that’s likely to move on from the team during free agency. In fact, most of the team’s most pressing questions fall back on regenerating its offensive line.
Along with Brown, the Chiefs are set to lose Andrew Wylie and Nick Allegretti to free agency. And, as it goes every year, rival teams will be waiting in the wings to sign Super Bowl champions who are free agents.
Other Questions for Offense
Replacing Smith-Schuster won’t be the hardest thing in the world to do. However, the Chiefs won’t just be facing one absence in the wings. Instead, they’ll also part ways with Jerick McKinnon and Mecole Hardman. Some have also speculated that Marquez Valdes-Scantling may be cut for financial reasons.
Regardless of whether Valdes-Scantling finds his way onto the roster, the Chiefs will need to diversify their remaining pass-catching team. At the moment, they’ll have Justin Watson, Kadarius Toney, and Skyy More as their catching corps. It’s not a shabby group by any means, but they’re all incredibly similar in terms of physicality. If the Chiefs want to repeat as Super Bowl winners, they’ll need to diversify their catching team.
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