ESPN Debates Mahomes As NFL's Best QB

Before hitting 30 years old, quarterback Patrick Mahomes' legacy in already undeniable.

The Kansas City Chiefs star may have come up on the losing end in February's Super Bowl LIV, but it's important to remember that that matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles was Mahomes and the Chiefs' third consecutive Super Bowl appearance, having won the previous two, and three of the previous five.

We can go on and on about Mahomes' playoff success, his two MVP awards and historic numbers ... but at this point in the offseason, it's fun to compare how the eight-year vet stacks up against his peers. Currently, that is ... despite how hard it is to input Mahomes' history on the line in defense of his present-day ability.

In ESPN's annual positional top-10 lists, the quarterback group was announced Monday, with Mahomes topping the competition as the game's best. Still.

It's his third straight season peaking the list, as voted on by NFL executives, coaches and scouts ... but writer Jeremy Fowler acknowledged that Mahomes' mediocre season last year (to his standards, statistically) has led to a "loosened" grip of the top spot.

"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," Fowler said.

However, complete context is necessary in assessing Mahomes' 3,928-yard, 26-touchdown, 11-interception season in 2024.

"OL in decline, particularly at tackle, WR group completely cleaned out by injury, [Travis] Kelce not near the same player," one coordinator said about Mahomes' supporting cast.

In light of that, Mahomes is still Mahomes. "I thought he had more command of time/score/situation and better fundamentals from within the pocket than ever," the coordinator added.

"He's a one-man army. And no NFL coach wants to deal with him. Complete dawg. No one like him."

This season, Mahomes has run into tough competition with the likes of the Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen, Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow, and Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson - who were ranked second, third, and fourth, respectively, and each received at least one first-place vote this year.

ESPN's resident quarterback Dan Orlovsky offered some push-back on Fowler's ranking, saying Mahomes' play last season (what these rankings are supposed to be based on, remember) did not meet that of the other three.