AFC West's $203,500,000 plan fails miserably in halting Patrick Mahomes & Chiefs' dominance in NFL
In the past five NFL seasons, arguably, there hasn't been a team better than Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. The team, after winning Super Bowl LVII 38-35 over the Philadelphia Eagles, recorded their second win in the biggest game in a four-year span.
That's not the only big accomplishment the team has attained in that span. Last season, star quarterback Patrick Mahomes won his second league MVP in the past five seasons. Even in the ongoing season, the Chiefs remain the team to beat in the NFL.
Competing AFC West teams had the tough task of facing Mahomes and the Chiefs twice a season.
In an attempt to slow down Mahomes and the Chiefs' dynamic offense, each of the other three competing AFC West teams made big additions to their defenses last season, which added up to $203.5 million.
The Las Vegas Raiders signed outside linebacker/edge rusher Chandler Jones to a five-year, $51 million deal. He was brought in to line up the opposite side of Maxx Crosby to give the Raiders a lethal pass-rush attack.
The Los Angeles Chargers signed defensive back J.C. Jackson to a five-year, $82.5 million deal. He was a big signing, as the Chargers were able to take him away from the Patriots to boost their struggling secondary.
The Denver Broncos signed edge rusher Randy Gregory to a five-year, $70 million deal last offseason. They were able to take him away from Dallas and viewed Gregory as a pass rusher who could be disruptive on their D-line.
The Raiders released Jones earlier this week. The Chargers traded Jackson back to the New England Patriots on Wednesday. And the Broncos released Gregory on Wednesday as well.
Analyzing why Chandler Jones, J.C. Jackson, and Randy Gregory are no longer with their AFC West teams
It's crazy to see the $203.5 million failed experiment that happened in the AFC West to try to slow down Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Chandler Jones was in the news for all the wrong reasons this offseason and he was released by the Raiders as a result of conduct detrimental to the team. The team released him a day after he was recently arrested for two counts of violation of domestic violence protection order.
Jackson didn't succeed in Brandon Staley's scheme and was even benched last season before suffering a patellar tendon tear. He was a healthy scratch in Week 3 this season and he didn't play a snap in Week 4. He reunited with Bill Belichick and the Patriots.
Randy Gregory signed last offseason with the Broncos after declining to remain with the Dallas Cowboys. He played in just six games last season and recorded just two sacks. In four games played this season, he accumulated just one sack. Both sides decided it was best to move on, leading to his release.