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Nick Wright Blasts NFL Media After Patrick Mahomes’ Shocking Pro Bowl Snub

Natasha Bose

Nick Wright rips NFL media over Mahomes' Pro Bowl snub.

Patrick Mahomes is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but this season, his numbers didn’t match those of Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, or Joe Burrow. Even so, if you asked most people who they’d want leading their team in the playoffs, they’d pick Mahomes.

Despite his reputation, Mahomes didn’t make the Pro Bowl for the first time since becoming a starter. Nick Wright, a longtime Chiefs supporter, didn’t hold back his frustration over the snub. At the time, the Chiefs were 15-1 and had the best record in the NFL. Now, they’re coming off a brutal 40-22 loss in Super Bowl LIX, and the Pro Bowl selection debate feels even more absurd.

Nick Wright rips NFL media over Mahomes’ Pro Bowl omission

Wright went off on First Things First, calling out the NFL media’s logic.

“This is outrageous,” Wright said. “Because if you would have the NFL media, which votes on the Pro Bowl and votes on the awards and sets the narratives, tell it ‘The Chiefs are the best team in football and 15-1 for no reason whatsoever.’ Do they have the best players? Clearly not because here’s the list of teams with more awesome players than the Chiefs.”

The Baltimore Ravens sent nine players to the Pro Bowl. The Chiefs, despite their success, had just five—Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, Trey Smith, Joe Thuney, and Creed Humphrey.

“So, they [Chiefs] don’t have the most talent; they don’t have the best defense, obviously; we know they don’t have the best coach because Andy [Reid] is 40-to-1 to win Coach of the Year. … So, the other thing we’d be like, ‘Oh, the quarterback must have carried them’ — nope, not at all. In no world did he carry them, he’s clearly not having that great of a year”, Wright added.

Mahomes’ snub makes no sense, but neither does the award logic

Wright pointed out the contradiction—if the media didn’t think Mahomes carried the team, then why wasn’t Andy Reid the frontrunner for Coach of the Year?

Kevin O’Connell and Dan Campbell were the favorites for the award, but the Chiefs had a better record while sending fewer players to the Pro Bowl. If Mahomes wasn’t playing at an MVP level and the team supposedly lacked elite talent, wouldn’t that make Reid the best coach in the league?

It’s the kind of inconsistency that fuels Wright’s frustration. Every year, the criteria for these awards change. In 2023, Lamar Jackson won MVP because the Ravens had the best record. This season, the Chiefs finished with the best record, and Mahomes played most of the year without his WR1 (Rashee Rice), WR2 (Hollywood Brown), and RB1 (Isiah Pacheco). He also dealt with a weak offensive line that crumbled under pressure in the Super Bowl. Yet, Mahomes wasn’t even a top-four MVP candidate.

The Pro Bowl snub doesn’t matter anymore

At one point, Wright argued that Mahomes and the Chiefs would use the Pro Bowl snub as motivation. But after Super Bowl LIX, that narrative is dead.

Kansas City’s offense collapsed on the biggest stage. Mahomes got hit repeatedly, throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble. The offensive line, already a concern all season, got exposed by Philadelphia’s pass rush. By halftime, the Chiefs had 23 total yards and trailed 34-0. The game was effectively over before Kendrick Lamar took the stage at halftime.

Trent McDuffie, another Pro Bowl snub, had a strong season but got lost in the wreckage of a defense that couldn’t hold up when the offense failed to produce. The Chiefs were supposed to make history with a three-peat. Instead, they suffered one of the worst Super Bowl losses in recent memory.

Read More: Stephen A. Smith backtracks on Mahomes vs Brady GOAT debate again

Image: Imagn Images

I write about sports because, well, it brings in the big bucks! I’m not some lifelong analyst or stats guru, truth being told, you’ve probably never heard of me!—I just know how to research, write, and make things sound good. That’s the job!
Got into sports media the same way most people do: by (fortunate) accident. Started with SEO writing, took on a few sports gigs, and now here we are! I cover games, trades, player drama—whatever needs words.
Favorite part? The chaos. One day it’s a blockbuster trade, the next it’s a goat running onto the field. Never boring.
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