Ranking AFC West teams by quarterback situation: Patrick Mahomes sets the bar
By Lucas Schuh
No. 1 AFC West QB situation: Kansas City Chiefs
Projected Starter: Patrick Mahomes
Backups: Matt Moore, Shea Patterson, Chad Henne
No team in the AFC West had a shot at the No. 1 spot other than the Kansas City Chiefs. Even before Patrick Mahomes arrived on the scene, the franchise had a more than capable starter in Alex Smith. In his final year with Kansas City, he was still an above-average player — but he was never near the quarterback that Mahomes is after only three NFL seasons.
Mahomes sat behind Smith as a rookie but took the reins as the starter in his second NFL season. He wasted no time exploding onto the NFL landscape. In that 2018 season, Mahomes finished with the second-most passing yards and most passing touchdowns in the league en route to winning league MVP.
He followed that up last year by leading the Chiefs to a Super Bowl win, so it was only a matter of time before he got a massive contract from Kansas City. This offseason, Mahomes signed a monstrous 10-year, $450 million deal that inks him to the richest contract in American sports history.
The Chiefs have a quality backup quarterback in Matt Moore, who stepped in last season when Mahomes hurt his ankle. He was unspectacular but played quality football, even picking up a win against a quality team like the Vikings.
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Unless something catastrophic happens, the Kansas City Chiefs will rule the AFC West in terms of quarterback situation — and will likely rule the entirety of the league in that regard as well. Mahomes is the best quarterback in the league and that doesn’t seem likely to change.