The Chiefs have become one of the most successful franchises in the NFL, winning 3 Super Bowls in the last five years. Keen on building upon that success, they have made savvy signings to propel them towards a three-peat, but the story hasn’t been the same off-field, especially this off-season. However, NFL insider Adam Schefter feels that the noise around the team has been comparatively low.
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The 2024 off-season has seen multiple Chiefs players get arrested, while a few stirred intense controversies. However, during Adam Schefter’s recent podcast episode, the sports writer felt the Chiefs would have faced more media scrutiny if they had been based in a bigger market like New York, Philadelphia, or Dallas.
Adam stated that while, as defending champions, the franchise garnered attention; they have somewhat evaded the full extent of media scrutiny due to their location in a smaller market like Kansas City. Yet, a cloud of uncertainty looms over the Chiefs, and no one knows the effect these incidents will have on the collective performance of the team.
“If there were another world champion that was playing in New York, Philadelphia, or Dallas, and they had Rashee Rice, going through what he has gone through and kicker, with some of the comments Butker has made, can you imagine the attention they would be getting? I know the Chiefs have gotten some attention, but it feels like it has been downplayed,” Schefter argued.
It has been a tumultuous off-season for the defending champions. First, the shooting happened during their Super Bowl parade. Rashee Rice was then arrested for causing a six-car crash, which injured several people. To make matters worse, he later became a suspect in an assault case for allegedly injuring an individual in a nightclub.
In the case of Harrison Butker, the star kicker stirred up controversy with his arguably sexist comments. Moreover, two of the Chiefs’ Offensive Linemen, Wayne Morris, and Chukwuebuka Godrick, were arrested for misdemeanor possession of marijuana. However, many still believe that the Chiefs have the resources and proper structure to overcome their off-field challenges.
Kansas City Needs to Overcome Self-Inflicted Wounds
The Chiefs successfully defended their Super Bowl only a few months back, but their off-season has been marred with controversies. Multiple arrests and the wrong choice of words are things that could have been avoided. However, fans and many experts are not sweating and feel the defending champions are still on the right trajectory.
The organization prides itself on being one of the best-managed franchises in the NFL. They have Patrick Mahomes, who prides himself on being a leader and a consummate professional. And after a successful year, the Chiefs were also able to retain their core players. Last but not least, Andy Reid is still calling the shots and will do the same for a few more years.
Moreover, Kansas City has made some interesting signings in free agency, such as Hollywood Brown, Louis Rees-Zammit, Carson Wentz, etc. They were busy during the draft as well, with talents like Xavier Worthy, OT Kingsley Suamataia, TE Jared Wiley, safety Jaden Hicks, OL Hunter Nourzad, CB Kamal Hadden, and guard C.J. Henson coming through the door.
However, any franchise, however successful and well run, feels the collective effect when a few key pieces fail to perform or are distracted by trivial issues. If the Chiefs manage to go into the season without further shenanigans and leave the issues of these past few months behind them, there is no one stopping them from getting their hands on another Lombardy.
