There are two narratives around the 2026 Kansas City Chiefs. One group believes that Andy Reid’s army will bounce back, while the other group puts them on a timer, making the 2026 season a make-or-break year for Patrick Mahomes’ team. Former New England Patriots player Rob Gronkowski is in the second group.
“It’s over for sure,” he said on Up & Adams when asked whether the Chiefs dynasty stays if they lose this season.
“I kind of put them in the tier two bucket, okay? You know, I feel like they’re not tier one right now. I mean, Patrick Mahomes coming off of the injury, you know, he’s going to have to prove to everyone first that he’s still the elite quarterback that we all know him, you know, to be. … They have a mini dynasty, there’s no doubt about that. That is over.”
Well, definitely, the Chiefs were once a mini dynasty, as Gronkowski had rightly put it. They played back-to-back in five of six Super Bowls and lifted the Lombardi thrice in five years. Patrick Mahomes elevated himself from a top talent to a generational hero, securing two NFL MVPs and three Super Bowl MVP titles to his résumé. But last season played out in stark contrast to everything the Chiefs had been doing in these past few years.
Mahomes was a major threat on the ground last season, averaging a career-high 30.1 rushing yards per game. But after suffering a knee injury, the Chiefs may not be able to rely on his scrambling ability as much. The passing attack lacked fire, and the offensive line became flimsy: Mahomes was sacked 34 times last year, two times shy of tying his career-high 36 sacks.
It was a rare stretch, finishing with a disappointing 6-11 record. The Chiefs marked their first losing season in a decade and snapped their streak of nine consecutive AFC West titles. They missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
The New England Patriots were the last big dynasty before the Chiefs took hold. But after Tom Brady’s departure, the Patriots fizzled out. Are the Chiefs also in for the same fate?
Mahomes has completed his nine-month rehabilitation following surgery to repair his left ACL and MCL. He remains the crown jewel of the franchise; if he is out of the equation, the Chiefs might not make the playoffs. To protect their odds, the staff has cautiously approached Mahomes’ return to practice in full swing. He had voiced his desire to be ready for the season opener vs the Denver Broncos on September 14, but it still hasn’t been confirmed whether Mahomes will play.
However, insider Tom Pelissero said on The Rich Eisen Show, “I would say all signs are pointing toward Patrick Mahomes being out there.”
Last season has affected the team. Mahomes has explained the feeling before, which even pushed Travis Kelce to run it back one more time. Regardless of whether they have hit rock bottom, the Chiefs are not ready to give up yet. Instead, they kept their rivals on their toes with a blunt message.
“I think it’s just the bad taste that we had from last season,” said Mahomes during the Chiefs’ kickoff luncheon. “It didn’t go the way we wanted to. Coach [Andy] Reid talked about that. But we learned from it, and we’ve gotten better. I’ve worked to get to this point right here to be ready to go for the season. Just as hungry as I am, just as hungry as everybody on this stage and everybody in this audience. We’re going to go out there with the mindset that we’re going to be a new version of the Chiefs, that goes up there and dominates the same way the old one did.”
“I think a lot of people are sleeping on the Chiefs,” Mike Florio said on Pro Football Talk. “It’s easy to do that because we had Chiefs fatigue. I think we’re more quick to embrace the demise of the Chiefs because we’d gotten sick of the Chiefs… There was that sense that football fans had enough.”
Chiefs Nation, however, is in no mood to give up. They remain one of the most passionate fanbases in the league, creating an environment unlike anything else at Arrowhead. But will the 2026 Chiefs exceed their expectations? We have to wait and watch.