ESPN expert explains why Patrick Mahomes is ‘almost only competing against himself’ in the 2024 season

There is no discussion or argument that can prove that Patrick Mahomes is not the best quarterback in the NFL today.

The QB has placed himself on an almost untouchable level. He’s consolidated himself on a shelf to the point where the second best is an abyss away from him.

Of course, nobody is considering Tom Brady in this conversation, although there are already people who consider Mahomes above him.

The reigning NFL champion is in for an extremely important year. And he’s motivated to keep chasing after who knows how many titles to be on the list of the best athletes in history.

Early talk of MVP of the 2024 season

It’s not even September but many sports shows are already looking at the subject of next season’s MVP.

2023 was the year Lamar Jackson won his second career Most Valuable Player award. And he deserved it.

However, the MVP of the Super Bowl, to no-one’s surprise, was Pat Mahomes.

On ESPN’s First Take show, Ryan Clark, Harry Douglas and Mike Tannenbaum joined the show to discuss the NFL MVP favourites.

They displayed a screen with the odds for the MVP race for 2024 and on it were Mahomes, CJ Stroud, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.

The Kansas City Chiefs signal-caller is in first place.

Analysts and presenters differed in their opinions. Even Jordan Love entered the conversation as a possible candidate to win the award.

Tannenbaum, who mentioned the Gren Bay Packers’ QB as a potential name for the season, hinted that Mahomes won’t have a chance in the race this year due to the fragility of the tackle position on the team.

Ryan Clark shows that sometimes the obvious needs to be said
When it was Clark’s turn to put his guess for the 2024 MVP on the table, he promptly replied that it would be Pat Mahomes.

“Sometimes you have to forget how great the greatest player is in order for us to consider him for this award, right. Patrick Mahomes has proven to us that he’s the guy and so he almost is only competing against himself.”

“He’s competing against the best he’s ever been, the best year he’s ever had. But we watched him last year with me out there playing wide receiver, right?”, added.

He elaborated his answer by pointing out that last season, he did everything possible and impossible to get KC to the Super Bowl – and win it.

“He was throwing the football to guys and they were actually typically to the defensive players for pick sixes and all he did was find a way to put his team in the opportunity, or put his team in a position where they needed one drive from him to win it all, and you know it when they kicked that football off to Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl, you said game time, you knew it was a wrap.”

Why Mahomes has the best chance of being MVP
It’s the year of the three-peat, which automatically makes it Mahomes’ year.

Ryan Clark spoke about the big signings having been made with the intention of giving the quarterback the weapons to maximise his qualities.

“So what do you, so what do you do for that quarterback who had nobody last year? You go out and get him Hollywood Brown, you go out and get him Xavier Worthy. Rashee Rice ascended last year. Obviously, he has some things to deal with some of the stuff from the offseason, but I believe Patrick Mahomes is gonna be on one of those proven years.”

The former NFL player even made a comparison with Aaron Rodgers in his prime.

“You remember the year when Rodgers had to tell us what, you know, ’20 something and four interception year for me is what they consider a down year for other guys. That’s a career year’”, claimed. “That’s something like what I felt about Patrick Mahomes last year. We were down on him as a quarterback, down on them as an offense. And all he does is find a way to win the Super Bowl.”

He ends his analysis by bringing up the ‘GOAT’ talk and saying that 2024 will be the season in which Mahomes shows why this talk makes more sense every year.

“I feel like this year he reminds us why we started having the will he replace Tom Brady as the goat conversations. And I think that’s why I’m excited to see what Kansas City, Andy Reid and obviously Pat’s up is aimed to do.”