🏈 Future GOAT?

February 15, 2023

Good morning BTP family! We had ourselves an amazing Super Bowl Sunday that was filled with non-stop action and an amazing halftime show by Rihanna. I would go as far as to say this Super Bowl was nearing an instant classic until the refs decided to step in and make a questionable holding call at the end. Whether it was a hold or not, they robbed us from an incredible ending to what was already an incredible game. DM @kicks on Twitter and let us know if you think that was the right call or not. Either way, congrats to the Kansas City Chiefs on winning a 2nd Super Bowl in four years!

On today’s edition of BTP we break down what is next for both Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs as well as what’s next for Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles. Finally, in the NBA we break down what lies ahead for Kyrie and the Dallas Mavericks after Kyrie had some interesting comments about his future.

Congrats to the Chiefs!

GREATEST EVER?

Patrick Mahomes is on a GOAT Path

We’re running out of words to describe how special Patrick Mahomes is. Since taking over the starting job five years ago, he’s won two regular season MVPs, and two Super Bowl MVPs and has yet to miss an AFC Championship Game. It’s a remarkable achievement the likes of which we haven’t seen since Tom Brady.

In Brady’s first five years in the league as a starter, he impressively won three Super Bowls and made 4 of 5 AFC championship games. But while Mahomes is slightly behind in titles, he’s already way ahead in terms of individual accolades as Brady didn’t win his first MVP Award until his seventh year in the league, while Mahomes has already won two. But it’s not just that he’s won multiple titles at such a young age that has him on the GOAT path; it’s how he goes about winning games on and off the field. Mahomes, like Brady, is obsessed with winning and constantly goes above and beyond to put his team in the best position to succeed.

Whether that means taking a team-friendly deal (Mahomes is expected to be around the 10th highest-paid QB next year in terms of annual value) or finding new ways to grow and improve, Mahomes’ approach to winning at the quarterback position has Brady’s fingerprints all over it. Now, seven championships is a tall ask, but championships don’t ultimately define whether or not someone is the GOAT.

In the NBA debate, rarely is Bill Russell in the discussion, despite having far and away the most titles. But titles are definitely a factor, and Mahomes likely needs to get to four or five titles to firmly assert himself into the discussion. But even if he never played another snap, he would probably go down in history as the third-best QB of all time, and at 27 years old, that is nothing short of remarkable.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Things are Not Looking Good for the Eagles

The Eagles just had a remarkable season, but their 2024 Super Bowl ambitions have already hit their first snag. Within a few days of losing Super Bowl LVII, both their offensive and defensive coordinators have left to pursue head coaching opportunities.

Shane Steichen, the Eagles’ former OC, is now the head coach of the Colts after beating out thirteen other candidates, including interim head coach Jeff Saturday. Steichen, who was a quality control coach in 2015, has had a meteoric rise through the head coaching ranks, and for good reason. Steichen was credited with helping curate a widely-successful offense around Jalen Hurts and will be counted on to do the same with whichever quarterback the Colts choose with their fourth overall pick in the upcoming draft.

Jonathan Gannon, the Eagles’ former DC, beat out fellow DC Lou Anarumo of the Bengals and Giants OC Mike Kafka for the Cardinals job and promptly received a five-year contract. Gannon is a defensive maestro who turned the Eagles from a bottom-tier defense into one of the league’s best. Before he arrived, the Eagles were 20th in the league in points allowed, and in just two seasons, he brought them up to 8th in points allowed and number two overall. Unlike the Colts, the Cardinals are locked in at quarterback with Kyler Murray, however, the team is expected to look very different elsewhere, as they have 31 pending unrestricted free agents.

Significant coaching departures like this are rare in the NFL but not unprecedented. The last time a Super Bowl team lost their two coordinators to head coaching jobs was the 1994 49ers, which saw Mike Shanahan join the Broncos, and Ray Rhodes sign with the Eagles. Thankfully for Eagles fans, even with these departures, the Eagles are the heavy favorites to win their division and have the fourth-best odds to win the 2024 Super Bowl.

DISTRACTIONS

Kyrie Irving Does Not Want to be a Distraction…

Kyrie Irving, arguably the most headline-attracting superstar of his generation, has publicly stated that he doesn’t want to be a distraction for his new team…for now anyways. Ahead of his home debut, where he would go on to score 26 points in one quarter, a new career-high, Irving politely asked that the media hold off on any questions about his long-term future.

Even before Irving first donned a Mavs jersey, rumors began to swirl that he could look to join LeBron in LA, or his pal KD in Phoenix, so Irving was wise to attempt to curtail any speculation. He told the media that these conversations “[put] unwarranted distractions on us and our team,” and added, "I've dealt with it before, and it's very emotionally draining to ask questions like, 'What's the long term?”

Irving’s next deal: Irving and the Mavs have indicated that any contract talks would be tabled for next summer, and that’s no accident. You might think that's because the Mavs want to see how Irving fits, how well he behaves, etc., but the real reason is that Irving is currently only eligible to sign a two-year $83M extension, and he's made no secret of wanting a long-term deal.

Should Irving wait until the summer, as he plans to do, he would be eligible for a four-year, $220.6 million supermax, or he could re-sign with the Mavs for up to $272 million on a five-year deal because they have his Bird rights.

What’s next?: Anyone who thinks they know what Irving will do next either has inside information or is flat-out lying. Irving is inarguably the most unpredictable superstar in NBA history, but he'll still have plenty of options this summer despite his erratic behavior off the court.