Chiefs dynasty looks even more inevitable with post-cutdown stat

Winning a Super Bowl has never been easy. In the salary cap and free agency era, sustaining that success has become nearly impossible.

The NFL is designed to drag every team to the league average. Championship teams must contend with the complacency that comes from winning and the attrition that comes from playing extended seasons. Salary cap restrictions make it difficult to retain talented players, and picking last in each round of the NFL Draft makes it difficult to replace that talent. Even the strength of schedule becomes more difficult.

Only two teams have managed to build dynasties in the salary cap era: the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs. 

The Chiefs cemented themselves as a dynasty last season with their third championship in the past five seasons. In 2024, Kansas City will attempt to become the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowl championships.

Chiefs roster stands out from the rest of the NFL

As Kansas City prepares to embark on their historic season, initial 53-man roster statistics reveal the disparity between the Chiefs and their opponents. 

The Chiefs have the fifth-youngest 53-man roster (25.73) and the fourth-youngest starting roster (25.75) in the NFL, according to The 33rd Team. 

Few teams across the league are designed to compete with the well-oiled machine in Kansas City. The San Francisco 49ers, who faced the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII, have the third-oldest roster (26.98) in the NFL. 

The AFC West has been riddled with coaching instability and poor quarterback play, giving the Chiefs an easy path to the division crown. Notable teams throughout the AFC face similar obstacles. Poor salary cap management forced the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins to tear down their rosters for spare parts this offseason. The Cincinnati Bengals made quarterback Joe Burrow the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history, which has left them in heated contract disputes with their two star wide receivers. 

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has succumbed to pressure in the postseason, and even the league’s best defense couldn’t prevent him from falling victim to an underwhelming Chiefs offense in the AFC Championship Game last season.

The Patriots and Chiefs dynasties were both created with similar ingredients, and they followed similar recipes to sustain their success. Of the many commonalities, the most significant are the similarities shared by their two key figures. New England had head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, while Kansas City has head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes. 

Like Belichick, Reid is capable of consistently outshining opponents with brilliantly crafted game plans and a wealth of experience. Like Brady, Mahomes is an all-time great quarterback who is willing to provide the team with the salary cap flexibility to build a championship roster.

Kansas City is hard enough to beat on the field, but their roster stability and salary cap management give them a significant advantage off the field.