Pro Bowl rosters were released Thursday morning across the league, and a number of players were missing from both the AFC and NFC sides that you could certainly classify as “snubs”.
While Pro Bowl rosters are constructed off of a specific season’s resume and not necessarily from a nearly unparalleled track record of career-long success, the omission of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is one that raised a few eyebrows around the league. (Probably not as much as the absolute insanity that is Trent McDuffie being left off, but when you talk about recognizing the league’s best players, you rarely get into a conversation where Mahomes’ name isn’t involved.)
The AFC quarterback competition this year has been stiff, to say the least. With Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow as arguably the league’s top three MVP contenders, there had to be an odd man out when it came to being selected to the now schoolyard-esque version of the NFL’s all-star game. Burrow, Allen, and Jackson have been electric and deserve the recognition—hell, two of them will likely also share the distinction of earning First and Second Team All-Pro honors as well. One of them will ultimately be the league’s MVP. Good on them. Individual accolades are important for filling up trophy cases, particularly when one of your peers has hogged all of the Lombardi Awards.
However, I don’t look at this as a snub for Mahomes. Those guys have been great, even if Mahomes is 2-1 against the trio this season. The fans, coaches, and players all came together in this Pro Bowl vote and said, “You know what? Let’s help Patrick out here.” Now Mahomes doesn’t have to formally announce that he won’t be playing in the game. When the Chiefs inevitably defeat either the Bills, Ravens, or maybe even the Bengals in the postseason to get to their third consecutive Super Bowl (and fifth in six seasons), Mahomes would be out of the affair either way.
Being the best player on the NFL’s best team doesn’t warrant recognition for individual honors, which is completely fine. Leave the flag football and cocktail sipping to the guys who are used to starting those activities at the end of January instead of mid-February. Allen and Jackson are going to need the camaraderie of other top-tier stars from second-tier organizations to ease the pain and return some light to the lifeless eyes that Mahomes is going to inevitably bestow upon them in the postseason.
The physical drain that can come from playing an entire season in the NFL the way that Jackson and Allen play can be immense, and the mental stigma that they both must have from constantly having to deal with Mahomes in January has to be equally as taxing. The Pro Bowl will be an excellent opportunity for them to both wear goofy bucket hats and hang in Orlando with other noted Mahomes victims like George Kittle and Nick Bosa. The only drawback will be that they will have to come up with a different set of interior offensive linemen and another tight end because Mahomes will have to have Creed Humphrey, Joe Thuney, Trey Smith, and Travis Kelce with him in New Orleans along with Chris Jones.
The Pro Bowl certainly helps to define the legacy of NFL players. It’s probably the fourth-highest individual honor you can receive outside of MVP, Super Bowl MVP, and All-Pro. A big deal. But a bigger deal would be taking your team to a third straight Super Bowl in search of something that no one has ever done in the history of the NFL: a Super Bowl 3-peat. The adults in the room, Mahomes specifically, should let the kids play flag football and be unbothered. They’ve got another ring to go get. But you have to admit, this is likely just more fuel for the “Pety Pat” playoff fire we’re all about to witness.
