Patrick Mahomes can ascend to a new level of stardom by succeeding without Tyreek Hill

Patrick Mahomes has remained relatively quiet since news broke that Tyreek Hill was traded to the Miami Dolphins.

The new receiver was introduced in Miami and held a full press conference. Meanwhile, his former quarterback has stuck to tweeting about college basketball.

His silence has caused fans and analysts alike to fill in the blanks of what the Kansas City Chiefs will be like without Hill.

Will they make it to a fifth consecutive AFC Championship Game? More importantly, will Mahomes' star fade now that his top receiver is playing elsewhere?

It is fair to say that the quarterback may have had his talent boosted by Hill. Yet the same could be true the other way around as well. Hill is gone, but the Chiefs and their fans must feel confident because they still have Mahomes.

Another Pro Bowl year for the quarterback in 2022 will assert his dominance in the league and allow him to ascend to a new level of stardom.

Patrick Mahomes finally has a chance to take that next step

AFC Championship - Cincinnati Bengals v Kansas City Chiefs

He won a Super Bowl, was named MVP, and was awarded a $450 million deal in the span of a few years upon arriving in the NFL. Yet all of his magical throws during that time usually went to Hill or Travis Kelce.

Every quarterback needs weapons to succeed. This isn't a new development. But it was also clear that Hill boosted his signal-caller's ability to scramble around and make crazy throws for completions.

Now things are a bit different in 2022. And when discussing the quarterback's future earnings, that could be a good thing. His current deal runs through 2031, but the dead cap value hits $0 in 2026.

So it's very possible the deal could be restructured around that point if he gets even better without Hill. Him making anything less than $50 million annually could also look like a bargain, given the way the rising quarterback market has shown no signs of slowing down.

So how can he get there? He must first succeed without Hill. He could use the offseason to work with Mecole Hardman and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, among others, to plan the offense in a way that isn't so reliant on improvisation.

Moving on from Hill could even be a net positive in the long run if the offense can adapt with more planning in place to utilize Mahomes' mind-blowing talents. Him taking a snap and running 50 yards side-to-side, hoping to find an open receiver, is not a strategy that will work for decades.

There is no guarantee the Chiefs will be better without Hill. But if they are, their superstar quarterback will reach a new level of stardom in 2022.

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