The Kansas City Chiefs are the modern NFL’s greatest dynasty.

The Missouri-based team have been to four Super Bowls in the last five years, winning three.

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The Chiefs were victorious in February – beating the 49ers for a second time in the season showpieceCredit: Getty
Last season, they became the first back-to-back champions since the 2004 New England Patriots.

This year, they are bidding for an unprecedented Super Bowl three-peat, and have started the campaign a perfect 7-0 for the first time in quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ career.

Mahomes is the jewel in the crown of the Chiefs’ dynasty and has been instrumental to their success.

At 29, the three-time Super Bowl MVP is already considered to be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, and is slowly but surely edging closer to Tom Brady’s record haul of seven Lombardi Trophies.

Dynasties are built on stability and consistency, and in Mahomes the Chiefs have both.

That’s largely down to the franchise signing ‘Showtime’ to a 10-year, $450 million deal in 2020, after just his third season in the NFL.

At the time it was regarded as a risky move. If Mahomes were to get injured or struggle, the Chiefs would be burdened with a massive contract that would seriously affect their ability to build a competitive team for the foreseeable future.

Fortunately that has hasn’t happened, as Mahomes has found a way to win, win and win again.

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Mahomes has three Super Bowl wins and is four behind Brady with plenty of time left in his careerCredit: Getty
Kansas City reworked his deal in 2023, upping his pay to $59.35 million that year, second in the NFL behind Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

In March 2024, they restructured his contract again to create an additional $21.6 million worth of salary-cap space, enabling the team to re-signed top free agent, edge rusher Chris Jones.

Mahomes reworked contract means his AAV — average annual value — is only $45 million per year, tying him in twelfth place on the highest paid NFL players list for the 2024-25 season with Atlanta Falcons free agency arrival Kirk Cousins.

In a world where perennial playoff under-achiever Dak Prescott is making $60 million per year and hot and cold (mostly cold) Jaguars signal caller Trevor Lawrence is earning $55 million a season, that’s a relative snip.

More importantly, perhaps, is that Mahomes’ contract flexibility has provided the Chiefs with the necessary wiggle room to make important additions after being decimated by injuries, most notably to Rashee Rice and Isiah Pacheco.

It has allowed general manager Brett Veach to go out and trade for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and pass-rusher Joshua Uche while remaining under the NFL’s salary cap limit at a time when the Chiefs are badly in need of reinforcements.

Mahomes’ openness has allowed the Chiefs to remain fluid in both free agency and the trade market, pivoting whenever they’ve needed to.

It’s ultimately allowed the front office to address key positions of need and continually kept the team competitive — the key to building any sporting dynasty.

“Patrick is about winning,” billionaire Chiefs owner Clark Hunt told ESPN.

“That’s one of his greatest qualities. It’s not about him but about the football team and what he can do to help us win championships.

“When we went into the contract in 2020, we knew we were going to have to adjust it. And we did that a year ago. We brought up his current compensation so he was in line with the newer quarterback deals.

“That was certainly part of the deal from the beginning.”

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Mahomes’ contract flexibility and Reid’s genius have been cornerstones of the Chiefs’ dynasty
Mahomes has been one of the linchpins of the Chiefs’ dynasty, along with tight end Travis Kelce and head coach Andy Reid.

Reid is widely regarded as one of the greatest minds in football, but at 66, he isn’t getting any younger.

There have been rumblings about his eventual retirement happening soon, but Hunt insists that inevitable day is still a while off, envisioning the KC coach to retain his role for at least the next five seasons.

“He certainly seems rejuvenated, I would say, by the success of the team in the last few years and having one of the most special quarterbacks of all time,” Hunt said. “I have no sense that he has any interest in retiring any time soon, which is fantastic.

“But I think any leader needs to be thinking about succession. … Eventually that day will come.”

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Big Red is the highest paid coach in the NFL, with a cool $20 million salaryCredit: Getty
Four-time Maxwell Club NFL Coach of the Year Reid is the NFL’s third-longest-tenured head coach behind John Harbaugh (Ravens) in 2008, and Mike Tomlin (Steelers), who started in 2007.

‘Big Red’ leads all active head coaches with 264 regular-season wins while his 26-16 playoff record is the highest among active coaches.

Reid was rewarded with a bumper five-year contract extension worth around $100 million this offseason, making him the highest-paid coach in the NFL and across all North American sports leagues in 2024 ($20 million).

Despite his age, cheeseburger-loving Reid is as hungry as ever to win.

The opportunity of a historic three-peat is certainly fuelling him this season, and in March he told Rich Eisen he has no plans to walk away from the game anytime soon.

“Bill [Belichick]’s not coaching anymore and Pete [Carroll]’s not coaching anymore, so I’m the next-oldest guy, so I’m getting asked that question every five minutes, and that’s not where I’m at right now,” said Reid.

“I don’t feel that way, that I need to retire right now.”