Patrick Mahomes Sends Message After Chiefs Lose Sack Leader to Panthers

Following the Kansas City Chiefs' blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, the team is making moves to strengthen the offense around quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

After making Trey Smith the highest-paid guard in the NFL, the Chiefs moved to fill gaping hole on the offensive line, signing left tackle Jaylon Moore in free agency. The former San Francisco 49ers starter agreed to a two-year, $30 million deal, which includes $21.24 million fully guaranteed at signing, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

The Chiefs re-signed Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and picked up a new running back, signing former 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell to a one-year deal worth up to $3.5 million, Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz reported.

Kansas City also made moves on the defensive side.

Kansas City moved quickly to re-sign linebacker Nick Bolton to a three-year, $45 million deal, a key player in defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's defense. However, the Chiefs can't afford to keep everyone and defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton, who led the team with 8.5 sacks last season, moved on to sign a three-year deal with the Carolina Panthers worth over $54 million.

Mahomes couldn't help be celebrate the 26-year-old getting the bag. He posted, "Happy for my dawg!"

Like Mahomes, much of Chiefs Kingdom cheered for Wharton's success. One fan replied, "Well earned. All he did was grind to beat the odds as a UDFA." Another person wrote, "Earned every penny but gonna miss him."

A true homegrown talent, Wharton first singed with Kansas City as an undrafted free agent  outof Missouri S&T in 2020. Now, he heads to Carolina as a two-time Super Bowl champion and an exponential pay raise. 

Wharton re-sign with the Chiefs on a one-year, $2.75 million deal last season. In 17 games and 10 starts, he registered 29 total tackles and 11 QB hits. Wharton added another 8 total tackles and 3 QB hits during their playoff run.