The Kansas City Chiefs have dominated the AFC conference since 2019, missing just one Super Bowl appearance over that span — a 2021 AFC championship loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. And yet, their wildly successful front office was ranked second in the NFL in a recent survey of executives and coaches published by The Athletic on September 26.
The only team above them? The Baltimore Ravens.
“[Chiefs head coach Andy] Reid and [general manager Brett] Veach are a formidable 1-2 punch for the two-time defending Super Bowl champions,” The Athletic staff wrote for KC. “Veach, who began his career as a coaching intern under Reid with Philadelphia in 2004, followed his mentor to Kansas City.
“Veach played a significant role in the decision to draft [quarterback] Patrick Mahomes in 2017 (under then-GM John Dorsey, who he succeeded weeks after that draft). [He also] rebuilt the offensive line and armed defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo with a talented young defense that ranked among the top 10 in scoring defense four of the past five years.”
An anonymous general manager who voted the Chiefs’ front office best in the NFL credited their “stability” as the deciding factor for him.
While an executive noted that “Veach grew up around Andy, so I think there is a very clear vision on what types of players they’re looking for and what works in their system.” The same exec also called Veach and assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi “good evaluators” of talent.
And The Athletic staff labeled Mahomes’ current contract the “greatest bargain on the planet.”
The Athletic found this data by polling “40 league insiders, including 35 high-ranking executives and five coaches.” Kansas City received 13 first place votes and a total survey score of 174, while the Ravens received 15 first place votes and a total survey score of 259.
As for Baltimore’s first place finish, The Athletic staff attempted to make sense of the findings.
“It’s been more than five years since Ozzie Newsome stepped down as Baltimore’s GM,” they began. “His disciples have kept the Ravens in contention nearly every year since.”
Continuing: “[Ravens GM Eric] DeCosta, who was a player personnel intern for the Ravens’ inaugural season in 1996 and has been with the organization ever since, took the reins from Newsome in 2019, and Baltimore’s 56 victories over his first five seasons were tied for the third-most in the league.”
The Athletic also pointed to recent accomplishments like reigning MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson’s “complicated” extension, key draft picks like wide receiver Zay Flowers, safety Kyle Hamilton, defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike and tight end Isaiah Likely among others, and trades and signings like linebacker Roquan Smith, running back Derrick Henry and linebacker Kyle Van Noy.
“DeCosta also got out in front of the potential loss of receiver Hollywood Brown, flipping him and a third-rounder to the Arizona Cardinals for a first-round pick that netted center Tyler Linderbaum,” The Athletic added.
To one NFC executive voter, the Ravens’ ranking boiled down to one word: “Consistency.”
“They know what a Raven is and understand how to win with those guys,” the exec explained.
Remaining Top 10 NFL Front Offices Behind Ravens & Chiefs
After the two top dogs in the AFC, the first NFC front office ranked third with three first place votes and 151 points overall. You guessed it, third went to the 2023 Super Bowl representative San Francisco 49ers headed by GM John Lynch.
From there, Howie Roseman’s Philadelphia Eagles finished fourth — although they had more first place votes (five) than the Niners. The upstart Detroit Lions and GM Brad Holmes placed fifth, and the back half of the top 10 went: Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers.
As an honorable mention, The Athletic also relayed that the Dallas Cowboys received one first place vote.
