Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes enters the 2026 NFL season with a massive chip on his shoulder.
The three-time Super Bowl champion topped ESPN’s annual quarterback rankings for three consecutive seasons. He no longer holds that distinction, as Buffalo Bills’ superstar Josh Allen claimed the top spot.
ESPN’s survey of NFL executives, coaches and scouts dropped Mahomes to No. 2 on the latest list.
A torn ACL and LCL suffered against the Los Angeles Chargersended his 2025 season after 14 games. Before going down, Mahomes threw for 3,984 yards, 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Kansas City finished 6-11 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford came in at third after his MVP 2025 campaign. Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals placed fourth. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson rounded out the top five.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) passes against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Patrick Mahomes Sends Clear Message After Dropping in ESPN’s QB Rankings
In a recent interview with Caroline Fenton of Yahoo Sports, Mahomes addressed the ranking directly. The 30-year-old acknowledged exactly why NFL personnel felt the way they did heading into this crucial season.
“Yeah, I mean, you understand it,” he said. “I mean, coming off an injury and we didn’t play as well as we wanted to be the last few years, you’re going to drop in the rankings of some sort.”
Mahomes refused to sulk and praised the depth of talent across the top 10. He expressed genuine gratitude for being included despite an injury-riddled season.
“You understand it.” 🤷
.@PatrickMahomes isn’t bothered by being ranked as the NFL’s No. 2 quarterback.
(via Yahoo Sports Daily) pic.twitter.com/HRqrrzWb9J
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 15, 2026
“But at the same time, there’s a lot of good quarterbacks on that list,” the 30-year-old added. “And I’m just happy to be a part of it. You got to go out and prove it every single year. So it’s my job this year to prove why I can jump back up in the list to number one.”
Training camp opens July 24. Mahomeswill have his response ready soon enough.
Related reading:
49ers TE George Kittle’s Wordless Reaction to Death of Iconic Actor
NFL Reporter Erin Andrews Shares Exciting Update
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce Reveals the One Thing He’ll ‘Remember Forever’ on ‘New Heights’ podcast
Kenneth Walker Had Words for New Chiefs QB