The summer of 2022 appears to be a time to take jabs at Patrick Mahomes.
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill claimed Tua Tagovailoa was more accurate than his former Kansas City Chiefs teammate on Jun 10. Mahomes was surprised by Hill’s comments but praised him as a “one-of-a-kind player.”
Another former Chiefs pass-catcher praised their new quarterback, and in the process, slighted Mahomes. Sammy Watkins signed with the Packers on a one-year deal worth up to $4 million this offseason and he was asked by Packers analyst Larry McCarren to compare Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers to Mahomes.
“Pat is incredibly good but (Aaron Rodgers) is on a whole other level,” McCarren read back to Watkins, who said those comments to teammate Randall Cobb, per video from NFL reporter Dov Kleiman. “He’s amazing, how he controls the ball, how he puts everybody in place. I’ve been with a lot of quarterbacks, and I’ve never seen them carry themselves like Aaron Rodgers.”
Rodgers, 38, is a future Hall of Famer, a Super Bowl champion and a four-time MVP. But some in the NFL world weren’t taking Watkins’ comments lightly.
Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis defended Mahomes while posting screen shots of ESPN NFL analysts saying the Chiefs signal-caller wasn’t a top five QB, Hill’s and Watkins’ statements and an excerpt from The Athletic’s Mike Sando’s quarterback tiers column, where an anonymous scout took a dig at Mahomes’ “unorthodox style” and claimed he was not a good pocket QB.
“Has a QB who has led to — four straight Championship games, four straight division titles, four straight 12-win season in his first four years as a starter — ever caught as much shade in an offseason as Patrick Mahomes?” Sharp tweeted Tuesday.
As Sharp points out, it is strange to see the criticisms Mahomes has taken, despite one Super Bowl title in two appearances — more trips than Rodgers and just as many playoff wins (8) in four years than Rodgers’ 11-year playoff record (11).
The Chiefs don’t play the Dolphins in the regular season this year, but they do play the Packers in Week 3 at GEHA Field in Arrowhead Stadium, and which will promise to be a great QB matchup.
