Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes II has been the unquestioned NFL QB1 for the past few years, but that is no longer the case, according to NBC Sports analyst and former pro quarterback Chris Simms, who finally dropped the top five of his yearly signal-caller ranking on June 10.

“The man who was No. 1 last year is no longer No. 1,” co-host Ahmed Fareed began the show on Tuesday, as the “Chris Simms Unbuttoned” podcast announced the top tier of NFL quarterbacks heading into the 2025 season.

That man Fareed is referring to is Mahomes, and Simms even admitted that he “feels like [the Chiefs QB] has been No. 1 [in his ranking] for a long time.”

That’s because he has. Per Arrowhead Pride’s John Dixon, “Mahomes has been listed as No. 1 in four of Simms’ last five countdowns, so Simms is not some known Patrick Mahomes hater.

In fact, Simms’ quarterback ranking is generally thought to be one of the more respected QB lists around, and he’s placed the face of the Chiefs as the face of the NFL more often than not. Unfortunately, this year was one of those “nots.”

Simms dropped Mahomes not one, not two, but three spots heading into 2025, despite acknowledging that Mahomes might still be the “greatest quarterback I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“For right now, he’s No. 4 in the NFL, and that’s weird for me to say — you know how much admiration [I have for him] and how much I love Patrick Mahomes,” Simms voiced on the podcast.

Ahead of him? Three fierce AFC rivals: Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson (No. 1), Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen (No. 2) and Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow (No. 3).

Before we all collectively grab our pitchforks, here was Simms’ explanation for Mahomes’ 2025 quarterback ranking.

“He’s mastered winning,” Simms began. “He’s the ultimate winner, he’s the master of winning. And I know some people are going to say, ‘Isn’t that the only point? To win?’ Yeah, I get that. I know. Winning is not a quarterback stat, though. I know we like to put it there — and I take it there and take it into context — but it’s not like, ‘Oh, he wins, he’s No. 1.’”

Simms actually used his father, Phil Simms, and his 1986 Super Bowl victory as an example of a time when the winningest quarterback was not the most talented one.

“Mahomes is special in all ways, and like I said, he’s mastered the art of winning, but within mastering the art of winning, [that] doesn’t mean you’ve played the most high-quality quarterback play last year or even the year before that.”

At the heart of Simms’ argument, he reasoned that counterparts like Allen and Burrow are forced to do more, with worse coaching and a less reliable defense to fall back on.

“So I have a luxury right here of taking a chance and just throwing a ball into the double coverage down the field, right?” He pointed out. “Or holding the ball too long in the pocket — and wait, there was somebody open, but no, I want more. Let me see if I can make something happen. My defense will keep us in the game, right?”

“Those are luxuries that [Mahomes’] team gives him,” Simms concluded, taking all that into account.

At the end of the day, Simms argued that Mahomes’ quarterback play week in and week out has not been as “high-level” as Jackson, Allen and Burrow. And he even ventured to say that he believes Mahomes would agree with him on that.

But that could all change in 2025. As the Chiefs have compiled a collection of offensive weapons, the likes of which Mahomes has not had in years.

Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, Jalen Royals, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, Brashard Smith, Elijah Mitchell, Noah Gray and oh yeah, Travis Kelce is back for another season.

Mahomes could be in for a renaissance year in 2025 if his playmakers stay healthy, and that’s a scary thought for the rest of the league.

One parting message from Simms.

The QB analyst recognized that “[Mahomes is] the man, the myth, the legend. [He’s] one of the greatest I’ve ever seen — and maybe the clutchest quarterback in football, still.”

But he needs to see Mahomes go scorched earth once again to rank him higher. And perhaps, this is the year it finally happens.