Broadcaster Troy Aikman said the NFL had to address penalties like the one Patrick Mahomes drew with his controversial slide last weekend. It looks like he’s getting his wish.

The league is expected to expand replay assist this offseason into plays that could include the quarterback slide, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Replay assist, in which remote officials help with on-field calls, was instituted before the 2021 season and expanded before the season to cover situations such as fouls for hits in players heading out of bounds, blows to the quarterback’s heads and intentional grounding. This would add the quarterback slide to the mix, and Mahomes provided quite an impetus during the divisional round against the Houston Texans.

The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback drew headlines when he scrambled, slid and drew contact from two defenders, drawing an unnecessary roughness penalty despite receiving little contact.

Aikman didn’t like it, ESPN rules analyst Russell Yurk didn’t like it, the NFL’s broader fan base didn’t like it and the Texans definitely didn’t like it.

Aikman’s reaction:

He continued harping on Mahomes attempting to draw a flag later in the drive, which saw the Chiefs score a touchdown in a 23-14 win. Mahomes later said “I probably shouldn’t have done that” on a play he was criticized for flopping.

As Aikman mentioned, the flag Mahomes drew was one of multiple controversial calls against the Texans that game, continuing a longstanding debate over whether the Chiefs receive favorable treatment from the officials because of Mahomes’ status, not unlike Tom Brady before him.

However, while the NFL is saying it might rework how it handles plays like the Mahomes slide, NFL officiating and rules analyst Walt Anderson stood by the actual call this week, saying that because Mahomes’ helmet moved on the play, it warranted an unnecessary roughness penalty. However, he also acknowledged there would be “conversations” this offseason over how such penalties are called.

Quarterback slides have become a controversial area of rules in recent years, with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen also standing as a model for fake slides. Any fan base is going to be infuriated when a quarterback gets an extra 15 yards for middling contact, or a different quarterback fools their defense by exploiting a rule, but the NFL is always going to err on the side of protecting its most valuable position.

Anyway, the Chiefs and Bills are scheduled to kick off the AFC championship game at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.