The Kansas City Chiefs’ 2025 season may not have ended with confetti falling, but there’s no doubt about who fans believe was the heartbeat of the team: Patrick Mahomes. In a recent fan survey, Chiefs faithful backed the team’s official choice for the Derrick Thomas Team MVP award, reaffirming what’s been clear all season long - as Mahomes goes, so go the Chiefs.
It’s easy to understand why. Even in a year where the offense battled through inconsistency and injuries, Mahomes remained the constant.
His command of the game, ability to create under pressure, and leadership in crunch time kept Kansas City in the fight week after week. The numbers might not have hit his usual stratosphere, but the impact?
Still elite.
Interestingly, while Mahomes ran away with the MVP nod, the fan vote also reflected a broader appreciation for the roster’s depth. The “Other” category actually outpaced both Travis Kelce and Chris Jones in the survey, suggesting fans saw value beyond the usual headliners.
One name that may have quietly gained steam in those write-ins? Center Creed Humphrey.
He was the Chiefs’ lone representative on the AP All-Pro team this season - a testament to his consistency and dominance in the trenches. Offensive line play doesn’t always get the spotlight, but Humphrey’s been an anchor in the middle and a key reason Mahomes stayed upright.
On the rookie front, there was a bit more disagreement. The team officially named defensive end Ashton Gillotte as the Mack Lee Hill Rookie of the Year, but fans leaned another direction - toward cornerback Nohl Williams.
And it’s not hard to see why. Williams played with the kind of confidence and physicality that belied his rookie status.
Whether it was locking down receivers or stepping up in key moments, he looked like a long-term piece of the Chiefs’ secondary puzzle.
Even left tackle Josh Simmons - who started just eight games in 2025 - drew more fan support than Gillotte. That says a lot about how impactful Simmons was when he did play.
Protecting Mahomes’ blind side is no small task, and Simmons showed flashes of being the next great tackle in Kansas City. If he can stay healthy and continue developing, the Chiefs may have found another cornerstone on the offensive line.
All in all, the fan responses paint a picture of a team that, while led by its superstar quarterback, is also being recognized for its emerging young talent and under-the-radar contributors. Mahomes remains the engine, but the pieces around him - from Humphrey in the middle to Williams in the secondary - are giving Chiefs fans plenty of reasons to feel optimistic about what’s next.