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For just the second time in his career — with the first being a rookie campaign in which he only started one game — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was not voted to the Pro Bowl roster in 2024.
Mahomes has also been left out of the MVP conversation for most of the year, despite leading the Chiefs to a dominant 15-1 record and the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Rival quarterbacks Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow made the AFC Pro Bowl roster in place of Mahomes.
Mahomes did not comment on the Pro Bowl snub, as he has bigger matters to focus on, but his trainer Bobby Stroupe did. At least, that was the public assumption after Stroupe dropped a one-word post on X.
“Good,” the well-known health, performance and player development consultant wrote, grabbing the attention of the KC community.
“I’ve been waiting for this reaction! Bye 31 other teams 👋,” one Chiefs fan commented.
Another said: “Motivation fuels the fire within 🔥.” While a third Kansas City supporter wrote that “rings are better” and a fourth simply shared a GIF of Mahomes.
Finally, one user replied: “The disrespect is unreal! But… at the same time I love it! No team wants to play a ‘pissed off’ Mahomes in the playoffs. 😁🔥”
For the record, Mahomes has had a down year by his standards statistically speaking, but he’s still ranked fourth in the AFC in total QBR entering Week 18. Unfortunately for those arguing that he was snubbed, the three QBs above him are Jackson, Burrow and Allen in that order.
Chiefs Could Use Pro Bowl Roster as Motivation During NFL Playoffs
It’s not just Mahomes who was snubbed of a Pro Bowl selection after the Chiefs went 15-1. KC did earn five Pro Bowl honors on January 2 (more on that below), but Mahomes and seven others were left off the roster as “alternates.”
Per Chiefs team reporter Matt McMullen, the official alternates were star cornerback Trent McDuffie, middle linebacker Nick Bolton, fullback Carson Steele, rising star defensive end George Karlaftis, punter Matt Araiza, linebacker and core special teamer Leo Chenal, kicker Harrison Butker and Mahomes.
To be clear, McDuffie, Bolton and Mahomes were “first alternates,” while Steele was a “second alternate” at fullback specifically. Karlaftis and Araiza were “third alternates” at their respective positions after that, and Chenal and Butker were “fifth alternates.”
Either way, you could make the case that a few of these players were snubbed of the Pro Bowl alongside Mahomes — like McDuffie, Karlaftis or Araiza — and FOX 4 KC sports producer Robert Rimpson did just that on X.
“This year’s Pro Bowl roster confirms that coaches and players in the NFL are buying into the narrative that the Chiefs are the worst 15-1 team in the history of the league,” Rimpson reacted after the roster was revealed. “The ‘nobody believes in us’ card is officially back on the table for the Chiefs to play.”
As the Kingdom and opposing fanbases know, if there’s one thing you don’t want to do, it’s give Kansas City bulletin board material ahead of the postseason.
Chiefs’ Chris Jones, Creed Humphrey & Joe Thuney Named Pro Bowl Starters
As for the Chiefs that did make the Pro Bowl, the only three starters were superstar defensive lineman Chris Jones, center Creed Humphrey and guard/recent left tackle Joe Thuney.
“This marks the third-straight Pro Bowl nod for Humphrey, whose 1,112 offensive snaps this season lead all centers,” McMullen detailed on the Chiefs website. “In fact, Humphrey has been the league’s best overall and pass-blocking center this year according to Pro Football Focus. Jones, meanwhile, earned his sixth-straight nomination courtesy of a campaign in which he ranks fourth among all players in terms of pressures (74) despite playing in only 15 games.”
Per McMullen, Thuney also earned his third-straight Pro Bowl honor for his durability, reliability and versatility.
Joining the starters were Pro Bowl backups Travis Kelce (TE) and Trey Smith (RG).
“Kelce, who led all players in fan votes, was named a Pro Bowler for the 10th straight season on Thursday,” the KC team reporter continued on. “The future Pro Football Hall of Famer has 97 grabs for 823 yards and three touchdowns this year. Kelce secured his seventh consecutive campaign with 90+ catches last week, marking the longest streak for any player in league history.”
Finally, McMullen noted that Smith “earned the first Pro Bowl nomination of his career on Thursday.” Adding: “Smith’s 1,112 offensive snaps this season rank second among all guards, and on those, the veteran guard hasn’t allowed a single sack.”
Notably, Smith is an unrestricted free agent in 2025.
