National Football League

Patrick Mahomes landing at No. 4 on NFL Top 100 list ignites uproar

Published Aug. 3, 2024 1:44 p.m. ET

The NFL has released its highly anticipated 2024 list of the 100 best players in the league, and social media went wild when the top 10 players — more specifically the top four — were finally revealed Friday.

The list, voted on by current players, had Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes at No. 4, behind San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey (No. 3), Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (No. 2) and Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill (No. 1).

Hill is the first wideout to earn the top spot in the list's 14-year history — but not everyone is convinced it's warranted.

Instead, Hill's former teammate Mahomes should have taken the No. 1 spot with ease, Nick Wright opined.

Wright alluded to the fact that Mahomes wasn't No. 1 was simply because some players "outright refused" to name him.

FOX Sports betting analyst Geoff Schwartz agreed with Wright, saying that the rankings "aren’t done in any serious fashion" because players can't be replied upon to honestly rank their fellow players and peers without bias.

Mahomes, a two-time holder of the Top 100's No. 1 spot, threw for 4,183 yards and 27 touchdowns — both the second-lowest mark of his career as a starter — and a career-high 14 interceptions during the regular season. Despite 2023 being arguably his worst regular season, Mahomes shined in the playoffs and led K.C. to its third Super Bowl win in five years.

He was then named to the 99 Club in Madden 25 for the fourth time in his seven-year career, matching the total number of times Tom Brady accomplished the feat in his 23-year career.

FOX Sports AFC East reporter Henry McKenna added that Mahomes was "brilliant" in 2023 despite his "ugly" stats, calling it "a mockery to put him at [No.] 4."

FOX Sports' Jason McIntyre, who was seemingly on the same page after replying to the league's social-media reveal of Mahomes at No. 4, went as far as to say that sports fans "can officially stop paying attention to this" annual list.

Hill led the league with 1,799 receiving yards (on 119 receptions) and 13 receiving touchdowns, coming dangerously close to Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving record (1,964) set in 2012. Hill was the only receiver named to the Madden 99 Club and is the first player in Dolphins history to ever receive a 99 overall rating.

Jackson registered career highs in completions (307), pass attempts (457), completion percentage (67.2) and passing yards (3,678), while leading all signal-callers with 821 rushing yards as he lifted Baltimore to a league-best 13 wins.

McCaffrey led the NFL in rushing yards (1,459 yards), yards from scrimmage (2,023) and total touchdowns (21). He was also a force to be reckoned with, leading the league in yards after contact (949), according to Next Gen Stats. His accomplishments landed him on the cover of Madden 25, along with a 99 overall player rating.

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