Chicago Bears: Khalil Mack and 5 Madden ’21 franchise cornerstones
By Ryan Heckman
1. Patrick Mahomes
Franchise mode is all about building a dynasty. You have to think with the future in mind, and let’s just say there isn’t a player in the NFL right now with a brighter future than Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
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The scary thing is, he’s already accomplished so much in just three years — only two of those as a starter. Mahomes is a league MVP, Super Bowl Champion, Super Bowl MVP, Pro Bowler, All Pro selection and just signed a record-breaking extension.
You’re looking at the highest paid athlete in history, and he’s only 24 years old. For some perspective on just how good Mahomes is, and how great he could be historically, let’s do some simple math.
Over his first two seasons as a starter, Mahomes has a combined 76 touchdown passes — 50 coming in 2018. Let’s average that out to 38 per season, and just because we need to be realistic, why don’t we knock it down to 35. Take that over the next 11 seasons, assuming he can stay as healthy as guys like Peyton Manning or Tom Brady did for (the majority of) their careers.
At the end of this mega contract extension, Mahomes could have 461 passing touchdowns and still be just 35 years old. The current all-time leader in passing touchdowns is Drew Brees, with 547, and he’s 41 years old.
You could be looking at the all-time passing touchdowns leader by the time Mahomes hangs up the cleats. I’d say he’s a clear-cut no. 1 choice to start your franchise mode with.