Breaking News: Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce reveal surprise approach that has the rest of the NFL kicking itself…. See More

If there is one thing that the NFL rewards, it is consistency. And no team has been a better barometer of consistency than the Kansas City Chiefs, the eight-time defending AFC West champions and the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.

The Chiefs have had core pieces in place for many years — Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and head coach Andy Reid have all been on the payroll since at least 2017. Those three have combined to win three Super Bowls since the 2019 season, and all three are headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday. But Mahomes, Kelce, and Reid are not satisfied with what they have accomplished so far — they want more, as recent moves for Kareem Hunt and DeAndre Hopkins have shown.

Think back to 2017, when Hunt was the NFL’s leading rusher and Hopkins caught more touchdown passes than anybody else. No player caught more passes overall than Kelce that season (his fifth in the NFL). Now, Kansas City has united them under Mahomes’ umbrella as the franchise pursues football immortality: a first-ever Super Bowl three-peat.

The Chiefs’ acquisition of Hopkins in a trade with the Tennessee Titans cost them only a fifth-round pick, and in return, Mahomes gets a three-time All-Pro to shoulder the load while Hollywood Brown and Rashee Rice recover from injuries. Hunt has scored three touchdowns in three games since re-joining Kansas City, while Kelce’s 245 receiving yards now rank second on the team.

While the NFL gets younger, the Chiefs are going against the grain and stocking up on experience. Kansas City is hoping that when the lights are brightest in January and February, Hopkins, Hunt, and Kelce will make significant contributions with NFL history on the line.