Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes is set for a new level of stardom.
This comes from him having to perform as an elite quarterback without Tyreek Hill.
While Hill wasn’t his only weapon in Kansas City, he was the biggest one.
When defenses focused on him, it allowed the Super Bowl winning quarterback to hit other offensive targets.
However, he has to do it without that deep threat of Hill in 2022.
The 2022 NFL season is his first test of how good he’ll play without Hill.
While Mahomes doesn’t have Hill, he has JuJu Smith-Schuster to replace him in 2022.
The two got off to an early start working together for the upcoming 2022 NFL season.
New #Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster and Patrick Mahomes are getting some work in together down in Tyler, Texas. (video via @coachfrogg's Instagram story). pic.twitter.com/XxMGiXlSwX
— Charles Goldman (@goldmctNFL) April 5, 2022
With them working together early, they are building trust and familiarity with each other ahead of the 2022 season.
This will give them an edge against teams with new players who didn’t get those early reps in with their new teammates.
It will also help Mahomes stay on the trajectory of being a superstar NFL quarterback.
However, Smith-Schuster isn’t the only offensive receiving weapon he has on the roster.
His work with Smith-Schuster is only to get their timing down for the upcoming NFL season.
He already works great with tight end Travis Kelce, so he won’t need as many reps with him.
But can Smith-Schuster help Mahomes skyrocket into a new level of stardom?
With Hill gone, and Smith-Schuster being his replacement, people should look at his time in Pittsburgh.
When Antonio Brown played with him, he performed like a number one receiver.
However, after Brown left Pittsburgh, his numbers suffered.
Juju Smith-Schuster:
Games with Antonio Brown as teammate 30
Games w/o Antonio Brown as teammate 33100-yd-rec games with Brown as teammate 11
100-yd-rec games w/o Brown as teammate 1 pic.twitter.com/XqR4nNv3LY— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) February 24, 2022
Brown took defenders away from JuJu, making him look better.
So if Brown was the reason he was good in Pittsburgh, does that mean he could hamper Mahomes and his rising star?
It’s doubtful, and that’s because the team has other weapons their young quarterback can target.
However, it makes things a little harder on the Super Bowl champion quarterback.
But those other weapons he has could act like Brown did in Pittsburgh with Smith-Schuster, taking away defenders to leave him open.
With these two players working together, they can ride together to a new level of stardom.
The receiver can help keep his quarterback on the right path, while Mahomes picks him up for a ride to greatness.
It would also silence the critics that feel he was a bust in Pittsburgh without someone there to help him.
So it presents an interesting story for two players on two different paths.
One is already on the path to greatness in the NFL.
The other player lost his way on the path to greatness.
However, they can walk that path together in Kansas City as teammates wanting to reach the Super Bowl.
All it takes is the hard work that both players are already putting in together during the offseason.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!