Patrick Mahomes II has become NFL's biggest villain because he won't stop winning

It's crazy to think about the NFL career arc of former Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes II, not in terms of his accomplishments but rather when it comes to the perception of him. Once a bright-eyed kid who took the league by storm while making plays the likes of which football fans had never seen before, he's now become the biggest villain in the game.

Fortunately, most of the vitriol aimed at the 29-year-old superstar centers around what has happened on the field rather than off-field missteps. He has won three Super Bowls and is one game away from a fourth, which would be the third in a row for the Chiefs, something that has never happened in NFL history.

Along the way, Mahomes has become an inevitability in close games, as was the case in Sunday night's AFC Championship Game win over the Bills. With the game tied at 29, Mahomes led his team to the game-winning field goal on an 8-play, 51-yard drive, a score that his defense was able to make stand as the difference in the game.

Because Mahomes has developed an unrivaled killer instinct, he's broken hearts around the NFL and that leads many to develop a disdain for the game's top player. What's more, people usually get tired of seeing the same team win year after year which is why success breeds hatred as was the case with the Tom Brady-era New England Patriots or the 1990s Dallas Cowboys.

Of course, Mahomes has oversaturated the pop culture world as well. As a pitchman for seemingly every company or product on the market, he isn't just the face of football, he's become one of the faces of Madison Avenue meaning that even when fans aren't watching a Cheifs game, they may get a snoot full of Mahomes.

Then, Mahomes is also disliked because of his association with his friend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce. The sometimes obnoxious boyfriend of pop superstar Taylor Swift has drawn even more attention to the Chiefs because of his relationship, one that is constantly being exploited by television networks, and that has turned many NFL fans against the Chiefs and subsequently Mahomes.

Then, there is the emerging perception that the NFL officiating crews are involved in some type of conspiracy to help the Chiefs achieve a historic three-peat. Any time a close or controversial call goes the way of Mahomes or his team, it only reinforces in the minds of many fans that the officials and the league itself have some vested interest in helping the Chiefs' dynasty stay alive. That line of thinking has also led to some of the Mahomes hate.

So naturally, after another huge Chiefs playoff win on Sunday, fans took to social media to vent their anger at having to see Mahomes and Co. back on the game's biggest stage.

Of course, the hate only seems to fuel Mahomes. He is obviously aware of it but it doesn't seem to impact him one bit.

Mahomes has made no public comments about being hated the way many other prominent athletes at his level have (specifically LeBron James). What's more, he continues to carry himself with class and dignity as he leads the most successful current run in American sports.

Every generation needs a villain. For many years, it was Tom Brady who NFL fans despised but now that he's retired, someone new was bound to assume the mantle of the league's Darth Vader. Mahomes has done that because he just won't stop winning, even if it drives fans outside of Kansas City and West Texas absolutely crazy.