'Face of the NFL' Named and It's Exactly Who You'd Think

“Number one is still the guy until he’s replaced by someone else, and that’s Patrick Mahomes,” Myers said. “He's the Chiefs quarterback. He's the number one quarterback in the league even when he may take a slight step back, and maybe the gap between number one quarterback and number two isn’t quite as large as it used to be, he’s still Patrick Mahomes.”

League insiders seem to agree with Myers, at least according to ESPN's 2025 executive poll, in which Mahomes again ranked as the NFL’s top quarterback, earning around 60% of first-place votes.

Mahomes has ranked atop or near the top of most statistical categories since 2018, and although he's coming off a subpar season compared to his best version (3,928 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions), he remains the best player at the position and across the NFL.

Myers pointed to Mahomes’ long-standing influence on team-building trends and his value to the Chiefs.

“Every team across the league has been looking for their Patrick Mahomes ever since he’s been on the scene and became the starting quarterback,” Myers said. “Every team has desired to get the what? The next Patrick Mahomes.

“That’s what you hear in the draft all the time. ‘Well, this is the closest thing to Patrick Mahomes that you’ll see.’ He's now what you're looking for. You're not looking for a QB, you're looking for a Patrick Mahomes. So, with that part of it alone, he gets my number one spot.”

Dennis agreed and cited Mahomes’ visibility and consistency.

“Whenever you are somebody who is in the Super Bowl every year, you’re probably going to be facing the league,” Dennis said. “Can’t count how many ads he’s been in. All that stuff. Uh, Patrick Mahomes. Can’t argue.”