Still No. 1: Patrick Mahomes Remains Kansas City's Crown Jewel on List of Top 25 Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs' 2025 season was disappointing by virtually any metric. After at least making the AFC Championship Game in seven consecutive years (highlighted by five Super Bowl appearances with three wins), the Chiefs enjoyed perhaps the greatest seven-year stretch of football in NFL history before crashing back to a 6-11 record in a disastrous '25.

Adding injury to insult, quarterback Patrick Mahomes—the author of those seven previous seasons as KC's signal-caller—suffered a torn ACL and LCL as the team's playoff hopes wilted in December.

It can be difficult to parse the responsibility between a team and its quarterback when seasons don't go according to plan, but in this case, it shouldn't be.

Even coming off of a serious injury and a frustrating previous season, Patrick Mahomes is still the No. 1 player on our Chiefs On SI ranking of the 25 best Chiefs ahead of the 2026 season.

Why Patrick Mahomes Is So Important

While plenty of coaches and players deserve a share of the credit for Kansas City's near-decade of remarkable success, there is no dynasty without Mahomes. In 2026, there will be no return to the mountaintop without another excellent season from the team's most vital superstar.

Mahomes' Strengths and Weaknesses

Through his eight seasons as a starter, Mahomes has shown a propensity to play quarterback in a large variety of ways, evolving his game and playing style as the league's defenses have strategized to slow him down. He's found success as a gunslinger and as a game manager. He's had years where he relied on his star pass catchers and years where he made proverbial lemonade out of questionable receiving rooms. He's deadly from the pocket and uniquely unstoppable on the move. Mahomes' career hasn't been utterly flawless, but he has authored the greatest start to a career of any quarterback in NFL history.

Now, Mahomes will have to begin his next act on a surgically repaired left knee.

One area of potential improvement for Mahomes could come in the deep passing game. While his arm strength has never been in doubt, Mahomes' deep balls have struggled a bit since the Chiefs traded away wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who was a uniquely talented deep-ball catcher.

At times, Mahomes has missed a few deep shots. Other times, his receivers have let him down. In 2026, with an offense that appears to have high expectations for wide receivers Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton, a rejuvenated deep passing game would benefit the Chiefs' offense after struggling to create explosive plays in recent years.

What Happens If Mahomes Gets Hurt?

Following Mahomes' injury late last season, the Chiefs made two legitimate investments in his backups, with one short-term answer and one with an eye to the future.

In March, the Chiefs sent a 2027 sixth-round pick to the New York Jets for quarterback Justin Fields, with the Jets agreeing to pay Fields $8 million of his $11 million income in 2026. Fields is not the typical style of backup the Chiefs have paired with Mahomes (as opposed to Gardner Minshew, Carson Wentz, Blaine Gabbert, Chad Henne and Matt Moore), but the team's bigger swing on Fields made sense with Mahomes' uncertain timeline to return.

In April, the Chiefs drafted their first quarterback since selecting Mahomes in 2017, nabbing LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier in the seventh round. The rookie will still have to earn his roster spot if he wants to make the 53-man roster, as the team typically prefers to carry only two quarterbacks, but with Mahomes' injury and Nussmeier's draft selection, this could be the year for KC to keep three.

Why We Ranked Mahomes Here

Last year wasn't Mahomes' best season even before the injury, but it also wasn't ideal for defensive tackle Chris Jones (No. 3) or tight end Travis Kelce (No. 4). Mahomes' closest competition was the man who snaps the ball to him every play: center Creed Humphrey (No. 2). While Humphrey remains the league's best center in our assessment, that's still one step behind Mahomes, who has been the best player in the sport for the majority of his time as a starter.

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