The NFL created a new award on Wednesday, which is dedicated to the player who helps protect his team's stars the most. Yes, I'm talking about the big guys up front. While offensive linemen don't often get the most love, as we saw during Super Bowl LIX, the games are won at the line of scrimmage. Any team with a bad offensive line is not going to make it far. Much of the Kansas City Chiefs success in recent years can be credited to their offensive and defensive lines.
The award itself will be called 'Protector of the Year' which is given to the league's best offensive lineman. As NFLPA's Troy Vincent said, the goal of the award is to "recognize the big fellas." The Chiefs have plenty of talent along their front five, but the player best positioned to win the award is Creed Humphrey. Yet, as great as Humphrey is, he's unlikely to take home the hardware because of his position. Let us explain.
Creed Humphrey is destined to be snubbed of NFL's new award
Humphrey signed a four-year, $72 million contract extension in 2024, which was well deserved. Protecting Patrick Mahomes is the Chiefs top priority, and Humphrey has done an excellent job at doing that. However, KC faces a new challenge this season after trading Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears. We'll let Arrowhead Addict's Leigh Oleszczak explain:
"While it was great to see K.C. reward its young guys, will they be up for the task of leading the charge? That's what we'll have to see for ourselves when the regular season gets underway. Thuney was not only a dominant player at his position, but he was versatile, stayed healthy, and brought a heavy dose of leadership to this group. Let's hope Humphrey and Smith learned from him and can lead by example," Oleszczak said.
Overcoming such obstacles and succeeding would, under normal circumstances, be reason to win such a prestigious award. That being said, the highest-paid offensive line positions and therefore most recognized are the tackles. Left tackles in particular are asked to do a lot more than your average offensive lineman. That is why a tackle is most likely to win the first Protector Award for better or worse.
Humphrey and the Chiefs have greater goals than individual accolades. That is why, say, Mahomes doesn't win the NFL MVP award every season. That can go to Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson, as long as the Chiefs reach the Super Bowl. The same can be said about this new, shiny toy.