For most of the last decade the NFL quarterback universe has revolved around Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. That seemed to change this year when Mahomes got hurt, but maybe that’s not actually the case.
Michael Silver of The Athletic has an interesting theory about that, and it has some legs to it. He thinks Mahomes helped get former Baltimore coach John Harbaugh and Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott fired, which sounds outrageous when you first hear it.
It makes some sense, though. Mahomes’ injury opened up a window of opportunity for Harbaugh with quarterback Lamar Jackson, and for McDermott with Josh Allen, but neither coach could get his quarterback through it. Jackson and Allen have both been getting beaten consistently by Mahomes over the years, and this year they once again missed the window.
This didn’t exactly sit well with owners, Steve Biscotti and Terry Pegula of Baltimore and Buffalo, respectively so they acted accordingly. They’d both seen this movie before when Tom Brady retired, and Pegula’s wife, Kim, spoke about it back in 2020.
“We’ve been sitting here for years trying to figure out how to beat Tom Brady,” said Pegula, who bought the team with her husband in 2014 and has since suffered a debilitating heart attack. “Now, he’s finally gone, and guess what? We have to deal with Patrick Mahomes for the next 15 years.”
Maybe so, but things are shifting and changing to some extent. This year Jackson and Allen were both in their prime at 29, which ratcheted up the level of urgency. In a league where the salary level of a star quarterback who can theoretically beat Mahomes starts at around $50 million, it’s fairly obvious who’s going to get fired when things go sideways.
Going forward, though, Jackson and Allen will both have new coaches, and they’ll be dealing with a new version of Mahomes, who’s now 30. He’ll be less mobile and coming off an injury, so a new kind of pressure will be in play.
Meanwhile, it was QB Bo Nix of Denver who took out Allen, while the ancient, compromised version of Aaron Rodgers beat Jackson. Nix is currently out for the season with a broken ankle and Rodgers will likely retire, so things will once again be wide open in the AFC.
Don’t bet against Mahomes coming back and taking over again, however. The Chiefs will be dealing with a pair of rookie coaches going forward, and it remains to be seen what Allen and Jackson will look like after their disappointing efforts this season.