Chiefs Could Share Plenty in Common With Jordan’s Bulls

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Not much could be better than Michael Jordan’s NASCAR team winning the Daytona 500 as an early birthday present.

Jordan’s 23XI Racing captured the Super Bowl of that sport when driver Tyler Reddick took the checkered flag on Sunday at the Florida track. Jordan, considered by most the best basketball player of all-time, turned 63 on Tuesday.

It’s the season for writing scripts, so here’s one that could rival this week’s events in Daytona.

mahomes, hil — Jan 23, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) celebrates his touchdown with quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) against the Buffalo Bills during the second half of the AFC Divisional playoff football game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

A script to rival all scripts

Picture this scenario for a Kansas City minute. Tyreek Hill, who turns 32 on March 1, returns to the Chiefs on a one-year deal and combines with 30-somethings Patrick Mahomes, Chris Jones, Travis Kelce and Kareem Hunt to win another Super Bowl.

Of course, the Chiefs would still need to re-sign Hill, released by the Dolphins on Monday, Hunt and even Kelce, assuming he decides to return. All three are free agents.

During the 1997 season...

Michael Jordan - 34
Scottie Pippen - 32
Dennis Rodman - 36
Ron Harper - 34
Steve Kerr - 32

Combined, 168 years of age.

During the 2026 season...

Patrick Mahomes - 31
Travis Kelce - 37
Chris Jones - 32
Tyreek Hill - 32
Kareem Hunt - 31

Combined, 163… https://t.co/tiYgrBDRm1
— 📽️ Red Tribe Cinema (@ClayWendler) February 17, 2026

Fight for your right to party ... like it's 2019

Just like old times, the Chiefs would party like it’s 2019. It’d be the most nostalgic world championship since, well, Jordan’s 1997-98 Chicago Bulls. That season, Chicago captured its sixth NBA title over an eight-year period.

And the Bulls did it with a 32-year-old Scottie Pippen, a 32-year-old Steve Kerr and a 34-year-old Jordan – not to mention a few other players primed for AARP membership.

And an opponent from the Bad Boy city

If the Chiefs are to spark memories of the old Bulls, emphasis on old, how about a budding rival from the NFC to serve as the villains on the opposite sideline at SoFi Stadium?

Just like the Bulls, Kansas City could have a nemesis from Detroit, home of the Pistons Bad Boys that kept the Bulls from reaching their first finals in the late 1980s.

reid, campbel — Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell, right, shakes hands with Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid after 30-17 loss at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Most people don’t realize that the Lions, one of the league’s best teams since they drafted Jahmyr Gibbs and knocked off the Chiefs in the NFL’s 2023 Kickoff Game, actually finished last in their division.

That means Detroit can become the third team since 2002 NFL realignment to win a Super Bowl the year after finishing last. Only the 2009 New Orleans Saints and 2017 Philadelphia Eagles have done it previously.

dennis rodma — Apr 01, 2011; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Dennis Rodman during a ceremony retiring his jersey during an NBA game between the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls at The Palace. Chicago won 101-96. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

In six of the last 10 seasons (2016-25), at least one team has played in the Super Bowl the season after missing the playoffs. The last team to answer a last-place finish with a Super Bowl berth was the 2021 Cincinnati Bengals, who narrowly beat the Chiefs in the AFC title game before narrowly losing to the Rams.

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