Mahomes targeted Hill a whopping 159 times in 2021 and connected on 111 of those passes. The receiver had 1,239 yards and nine touchdowns. Yet there was still a sense of balance in this prolific offense.
Travis Kelce was second with 92 receptions for 1,125 yards and nine touchdowns. Mecole Hardman added 59 receptions, which is notable given how much attention was paid to Hill and Kelce.
The likely shift in 2022 is that defenses can pay more attention to Kelce in the Chiefs offense. Hill will not be running wild through the secondary, allowing Kelce to sit and wait in zones. However, an improved Hardman could easily change that notion.
Overall, fans are waiting to see if it was Hill or Mahomes that was boosting the other. If it were the former, fans would find out quickly as the Chiefs offense will struggle mightily out of the gate. Yet if everything flows the same or better, it will be crystal clear that Mahomes is genuinely the most valuable player in the NFL. As long as he’s around, the Chiefs are in great hands.
It is still entirely possible that both players are elite and capable of finding success no matter where they go. The MVP award has become chiefly a quarterback award, so Mahomes lighting it up without Hill is more award-worthy, at least in the eyes of voters, than Hill doing well with Tua Tagovailoa in Miami.
