Before Super Bowl LIX, many believed Patrick Mahomes had a chance to take another step toward cementing himself as the greatest quarterback of all time.
Instead, the Kansas City Chiefs’ hopes for a historic three-peat came crashing down in a 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Remarkably, it was the second time that Mahomes and the Chiefs have been blown out on the game’s biggest stage.
Now, as Kansas City faces a pivotal offseason, one former NFL quarterback has sparked debate by placing Mahomes surprisingly low in his early 2025 quarterback rankings.
Former NFL quarterback Kurt Benkert released his way-too-early list of the top-20 quarterbacks heading into 2025, and Mahomes landed at a shocking No. 5.
Lamar Jackson took the top spot on Benkert’s list, with 2024 MVP Josh Allen at No. 2. Joe Burrow was ranked third, while Jayden Daniels – who dazzled as a rookie – came in fourth, just ahead of Mahomes.
Benkert’s complete top-20 goes as follows…
#1. Lamar Jackson
#2. Josh Allen
#3. Joe Burrow
#4. Jayden Daniels
#5. Patrick Mahomes
#6. Justin Herbert
#7. Jalen Hurts
#8. Matthew Stafford
#9. C.J. Stroud
#10. Dak Prescott
#11. Baker Mayfield
#12. Jordan Love
#13. Kyler Murray
#14. Bo Nix
#15. Brock Purdy
#16. Jared Goff
#17. Caleb Williams
#18. Michael Penix JR
#19. Sam Darnold
#20. Trevor Lawrence
Despite Mahomes being regarded by many as the best quarterback in the league, Benkert doubled down on his stance, adding that the two-time MVP and three-time Super Bowl champion was “barely top 10 all season” in his eyes.
While Benkert’s rankings raised eyebrows, Mahomes is likely too focused on rebounding from the most disappointing performance of his career to care.
The Chiefs star struggled against a relentless Eagles defense, failing to deliver the magic that has made him one of the most feared quarterbacks in NFL history.
After the disastrous Super Bowl, Mahomes took to social media to express his supreme disappointment.
“Appreciate all the love and support from #ChiefsKingdom I let y’all down today. I’ll always continue to work and try and learn and be better for it. Want to give thanks to God for every opportunity he has given me. We will be back,” Mahomes posted on X.
It’s unlikely that Mahomes ever sees Benkert’s rankings – and even if he does, he probably won’t waste any time thinking about them.
With his dynasty momentarily stalled and the Chiefs looking to reload for another title run, it’s safe to assume that Mahomes will be back with a vengeance in 2025.
On a side note, besides Mahomes, there are an awful lot of head-scratchers on Benkert’s list. (Which I’m sure were done intentionally.)
Which of his rankings do you disagree most with? … More importantly, what does YOUR quarterback list look like???
