The Herd with Colin Cowherd – "What's Wright – Nick Wright Best of Chiefs: Mahomes & Kelce MONSTER bounce back, Tyreek Hill RETURN to KC? | NFL"

Date: August 19, 2025
Podcast Network: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume
Host: Nick Wright (with co-host and guest commentary)

Episode Overview

This "Best of the Week" compilation from Nick Wright’s "What’s Wright" focuses on the Kansas City Chiefs’ narrative heading into the 2025 NFL season. The episode covers three principal storylines:

• Patrick Mahomes’ place atop the quarterback hierarchy amid post-Super Bowl skepticism and shifting media narratives
• Travis Kelce’s longevity, conditioning, and the Chiefs’ evolving offense
• The dynamic and tension involving Tyreek Hill’s exit from Kansas City, Miami Dolphins controversies, and speculation about a possible Chiefs return

Wright delivers his signature blend of passionate defense, blunt criticism, and insider perspective, digging into why he thinks recent doubts about the Chiefs are overblown and what to expect going forward.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mahomes, Quarterback Rankings, and AFC Narratives

Timestamp: 02:10 – 15:00

• Mahomes’ Standard for “Best QB Alive”

  • Nick Wright ridicules the new wave of quarterback rankings that position Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, or Joe Burrow ahead of Patrick Mahomes.

  • He shares a tongue-in-cheek “free take”: If Mahomes is held to the team-success-and-big-game standard, so should Jalen Hurts, who now has team and individual accolades to be argued as the best. But Nick clarifies he does not actually believe Hurts is the best.

    Quote:

    "That take is, again, I do not believe it, but it doesn’t have a ton of logical holes if someone wanted to have it." (Nick Wright, 04:33)

• Deconstructing AFC Rival Arguments

  • Wright calls the idea of Allen, Lamar, or Burrow surpassing Mahomes “the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard” (11:10), emphasizing none have outplayed Mahomes in crucial situations.

  • Particularly critical of Allen, Wright reminds listeners of Buffalo’s continued postseason failures and pokes fun at fan bravado—even recounting a “Bills Country” comment he received in Hawaii.

    Quote:

    "In my head I’m like, no, it’s fucking not, man. I’m not sure there’s a place in the U.S. further removed, literally and spiritually, from Buffalo, NY, than the boardwalk in Honolulu." (Nick Wright, 12:32)

• Chiefs’ Dynasty Debate and Division Picks

  • Wright highlights how “wishful thinking” and fatigue with greatness prompt some to prematurely close the Chiefs Super Bowl window.

  • He notes that any division with the clear best QB and coach is always a consensus pick, and finds it nonsensical that anyone is picking Denver or the Chargers over KC.

    Quote:

    “People get fickle with greatness… sometimes you’re just doing it too much.” (14:17)

2. Chiefs Offense 2025: Rebooting the Light Show

Timestamp: 20:00 – 28:00

• Post-Super Bowl Adjustments

  • Wright analyzes the Chiefs’ offensive struggles—slow, low-explosive drives, lack of big plays—and why it’s crucial they regain their “swagger” (21:50).

  • He traces the offense’s three-year evolution, highlighting how 2024’s “death by a thousand cuts” approach limited Mahomes and forced pressing during the Super Bowl loss.

    Quote:

    “Being down 14 for last year’s Chiefs felt so different... we don’t have this one-play ability. So I think they need to get that back.” (21:56)

• Personnel and Positional Analysis

  • Optimism about rookie LT Josh Simmons and WR Xavier Worthy helping to recapture verticality and big-play threats.

  • Shares a key Warren Sharp stat: Mahomes’ record when trailing entering the fourth quarter (14-7, 67%) dwarfs his peer group, underscoring his clutch factor.

    Quote:

    “That means the Chiefs would be an 11/12 win team if every game they trailed going into the 4th quarter.” (25:54)

• Madden Ratings Note

  • Points out Xavier Worthy’s high rookie rating as a vote of confidence for the receiver group.

3. Travis Kelce’s Aging Curve and Impact

Timestamp: 28:00 – 32:00

• Kelce’s Longevity and Game Management

  • Recalls last year’s bold claim that Kelce had “eight great games left” in him—not a knock, but an acknowledgment of age and the physical demands of the tight end spot.

  • Suggests that Kelce’s improved offseason and chip-on-shoulder from last year’s Super Bowl letdown may “replenish” his tank; expects him to remain elite in 2025.

    Quote:

    “When you are Travis’s age at that position, you have to be very diligent about when you go full-throttle… He only has so many full-throttle games left.” (29:42)

  • Puts Kelce in elite company for 2025: “Travis and Brock Bowers are going to be up there” for best in the league at their position.

4. Tyreek Hill – Miami Drama and Chiefs Reunion Hopes

Timestamp: 35:00 – 44:00

• Tyreek Hill – Tua Tagovailoa Fallout

  • Wright discusses Tyreek Hill’s public apology attempt after his controversial end to 2024 actions, and Tua’s unusually blunt public comments about Hill needing to “earn back trust.”

  • Wright’s take: Tua (as franchise QB) would have been wiser to keep those comments in-house, emphasizing publicly that they’re “all good” or working it out privately to avoid ongoing media drama.

    Quote:

    “Sometimes when you are the face of an organization and you get put in bad spots… publicly, you just gotta present a united front. That’s all I’m—” (39:10)

• Long-Term Chiefs-Tyreek Reunion

  • Wright repeats his year-old prediction: Tyreek Hill will return to Kansas City in 2026.

  • Playfully speculates that a reunion could entice Travis Kelce to stretch his career for a final run, conjuring a “ride off into the sunset” moment.

    Quote:

    "I’m very excited for Tyreek Hill wearing a Chiefs uniform in 2026, because that’s—I think it’s going to happen." (43:01)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• "That take is, again, I do not believe it, but it doesn’t have a ton of logical holes if someone wanted to have it."
  (Nick Wright on the argument for Jalen Hurts, 04:33)

• "It’s the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard."
  (Nick Wright on ranking Allen/Lamar/Burrow over Mahomes, 11:10)

• "No debate—when it’s crystal clear that a team has the division’s best quarterback and best coach, that team’s everyone’s pick. The only reason KC isn’t is wishful thinking."
  (Nick Wright, 13:54)

• On Chiefs offense:

  "They need to get their swagger back… bring back, as Brew would call it, the light show a bit, and I’m optimistic they can." (Nick Wright, 27:10)

• On Kelce’s late-career greatness:

  "When you are Travis’s age at that position, you have to be very diligent about when you go full throttle… I think he knows he only has so many full-throttle games left." (Nick Wright, 29:42)

• On Tyreek’s likely return:

  "Tyreek Hill wearing a Chiefs uniform in 2026… I think it’s absolutely on the board." (Nick Wright, 43:01)

Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment / Topic | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:10 | Mahomes QB debates and "free take" on Hurts | | 11:00 | AFC rivals slander and division prediction logic | | 20:00 | Chiefs' offense, big play struggles, need for vertical game | | 25:30 | Warren Sharp stat: Mahomes’ comeback record | | 28:00 | Travis Kelce’s aging and role in 2025 | | 35:00 | Tyreek Hill–Tua drama, Miami Dolphins season outlook | | 43:00 | Chiefs–Tyreek reunion speculation |

Overall Summary and Tone

Nick Wright, in quintessential brash-but-analytic style, makes a detailed case for the Chiefs’ ongoing dominance and ridicules any premature "era over" talk. He defends Mahomes’ singular greatness, explains why offensive tweaks are both necessary and likely, assesses Travis Kelce’s future, and injects real knowledge and humor into the Tyreek Hill–Miami saga. Listeners get both insight and entertainment, with fan and media fallacies held up to withering scrutiny.

The episode is a masterclass in football debate, Chiefs optimism, and sharp media critique for anyone invested in the NFL’s most polarizing dynasty.