Patrick Mahomes was crowned Most Valuable Player of the National Football League on Saturday night and the response was overwhelming from teammates.
As the NFL’s regular season slowed to a halt in 2018, the race for Most Valuable Player largely came down to two quarterbacks: a first-year phenom in Patrick Mahomes and a future Hall of Famer in the twilight of his career in Drew Brees.
On Saturday night, voters made it clear by an overwhelming margin that Mahomes’s season was one to remember and that Brees would have to play at least one more exceptional season if he wanted a chance at an MVP trophy before he retires.
Mahomes became only the second quarterback ever to throw 50 touchdown passes and 5,000 passing yards in a single season, joining Peyton Manning in the exclusive club. After a year spent learning behind Alex Smith, Mahomes took the league by storm in his sophomore season, commanding Andy Reid’s inventive offense with a flair all his own. By the time the season concluded, he’d made believers out of everyone in the NFL and given them their next great quarterback.
Coming into Saturday night, Mahomes was the heavy favorite to win the award. He’d already been named first-team All-Pro by both the Pro Football Writers of America and the Associated Press. He also enjoyed his first ever Pro Bowl last weekend in Orlando. When his name was called as the winner of the league’s offensive player of the year on Saturday, the MVP win seemed like a foregone conclusion.
Plenty of Chiefs teammates chimed in after the win with congratulations of their own for Mahomes.
Even former teammates got in on the deal, as was the case with Miami Dolphins receiver Albert Wilson and more.
What was also clear in the responses was that once you’re a Chief, you’re always a member of Chiefs Kingdom.
How about a shout out from across the parking lot?
And sometimes, on a rare occasion, even your father’s former Major League Baseball franchise chimes in, too.