“Those guys are going to come and go” - NFL analyst compares Tyreek Hill leaving Patrick Mahomes to Aaron Rodgers losing wide receivers

From Tom Brady to Aaron Rodgers, the NFL is littered with stories of quarterbacks succeeding despite a lack of weapons. Now, after Tyreek Hill's exit, one NFL analyst is saying the league will find out just how good Mahomes truly is.

Speaking on Good Morning Football, Kyle Brandt set the stage for the quarterback's upcoming seasons, using Aaron Rodgers as an example.

Here's what he had to say, touching on how Hill will not be the last significant offensive loss for the team:

“Back to the Chiefs, I think the Packers comparison is apt. Like Patrick Mahomes is still in the Greg Jennings phase of his Aaron Rodgers career comparison. It's so early. Like Kelce is 32. We saw Tyreek leave. In a year or two, we're gonna see Kelce not be on the team anymore."

Continuing with the comparison to Aaron Rodgers, Brandt went on to say that the quarterback is getting into the next era of his career, and the next generation of Chiefs players are coming:

"Rodgers then went into the Jordy phase, and Mahomes is going to go into that. So it's about your trust and your belief in Mahomes as a player. And as much as we love Kelce and Tyreek, those guys are going to come and go in the career of Patrick Mahomes, just like they have for Rodgers.”

Why do players "come and go" for players like Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes?

Some will point to the salary cap forcing teams to move players and hold back on signing big ones. Others say the salary cap isn't "real." In other words, according to them, there are so many moves that can be made to subvert the cap that the cap is a speed bump instead of a wall.

However, Brandt was saying partly about how long quarterbacks play versus how long skill position players last. A great quarterback will play for roughly 20 years in today's sport. Wide receivers tend to last a decade. Tight ends tend to last approximately 10-12 years. Running backs' mileage can vary, but their lifespans are often well under 10 years.

Thus, several generations of skill players will play for the same quarterback. On top of this, the salary cap also has an effect, as seen by the Hill trade. For the Chiefs, Hill was lost due to salary issues, and Kelce will likely have his age catch up soon. It is not just one factor, but rather a combination of factors, that has led the Chiefs into this corner.

However, Mahomes remains and will need to make up for the absences as the team heads into a new generation on the offensive side of the ball. After the Super Bowl defeat, the offensive line was already essentially replaced, and changes are expected to continue over the coming seasons.