Mike Florio serves Bountygate warning to Raiders HC Antonio Pierce over "knocking off the head of" Patrick Mahomes

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has a target the size of Texas on his back after winning back-to-back Super Bowls. Some would comprehend that it means several people want to defeat him in a football game. However, the division rival head coach Antonio Pierce's comments would suggest he wants to take things one step further.

“We gotta knock off the head of the snake. Fifteen.” - Pierce quoted in Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio's article, which was published on the website.

Sports commentator Florio called the comments "risky." He claimed they invoke memories of Bountygate, the infamous scandal that got head coach Sean Payton removed from the league for the 2012 season. Just talking about getting any opposing quarterback hit in the head will land anyone in trouble.

Florio provided two examples to explain why Pierce's comments were dangerous. The first, in 2004, Browns defensive tackle Gerard Warren said he was told that one rule was to "Kill the head and the body's dead." It resulted in a warning from the NFL.

The second example was of Bountygate. Florio recalled one of Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' sayings from the leadup to the punishment: "Kill the head, the body will die."

Defenses prepare counter-attack against Patrick Mahomes

Patrick Mahomes at Super Bowl LVIII - San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs

While Antonio Pierce's comments drew a verbal slap on the wrist from Mike Florio, they allude to a larger truth league-wide. Teams will spend much of the offseason digging deep into Patrick Mahomes' tape from 2023 to find his kryptonite.

A game that will likely get a disproportionate amount of attention is the second matchup between Russell Wilson's Denver Broncos and Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs. Despite finishing under .500 in 2023 and riding a losing streak to Mahomes in 2017, the Broncos managed to blow out the Chiefs.

The final score was 24-9. And despite having a defense ranked nearly last in all categories, the unit managed to shut down the most explosive playmaker in the NFL. If teams can figure out what worked in that game and prepare accordingly, 2024 could be a rude wake-up for Mahomes.

However, this would not be the first offseason teams have tried and failed to scheme against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Will 2024 serve as a dark new chapter in the Patrick Mahomes saga?