Years into his NFL career, the Kansas City Chiefs Patrick Mahomes has become the face of the league. As the sport’s best quarterback (and best player), we’ve grown accustomed to the man wearing the red No. 15 seemingly doing something spectacular every week. But when he was still just a prospect in the lead-up to the 2017 NFL Draft, it might have worked out in another way if Mahomes didn’t take matters into his own hands.
In the latest episode of the New Heights podcast hosted by the Philadelphia Eagles Jason Kelce and Mahomes’ Chiefs running mate, Travis Kelce — the quarterback discussed the potential of an alternate future borne out of 2017.
The conversation reached a point where Mahomes revealed he had a host of team suitors not limited to the Chiefs. Based on a detailed pre-draft meeting with Andy Reid, where the head coach grilled the QB on offensive schemes and concepts, he seemed to understand his stock was rapidly rising. Mahomes was impeccably prepared for the meeting thanks to then-offensive coordinator Matt Nagy giving him the plays Reid would go over the night before.
The quarterback, who was eventually drafted with the No. 10 overall pick by Kansas City, would later use inside information to let the Chiefs’ leaders know in advance that if they let him slip past No. 12 overall — someone else was absolutely going to take him. And after Kansas City would trade up to get its signal-caller, the rest was history:
"If y'all let me go 12 or below I'm gonna get drafted by someone else"
These @PatrickMahomes draft stories are mind-blowing 🤯
THE PATRICK MAHOMES EPISODE with @JasonKelce & @tkelce is out NOW: https://t.co/ZlYmHA5kwB pic.twitter.com/sOW0iLmA6I
— New Heights (@newheightshow) December 1, 2022
I think Travis Kelce’s incredulous reaction upon learning Mahomes pulled the strings for his NFL future best sums up this awesome flex by the superstar quarterback.
That’s because if Mahomes doesn’t find his way to a future Hall of Fame coach in Andy Reid and a probable Hall of Fame tight end in Travis Kelce (by virtue of his dynamic connection with Mahomes) — the current landscape of the league could’ve had an entirely different look. Call it a hunch, but if the Houston Texans (who had the No. 12 overall pick and used it to draft Deshaun Watson after their own trade-up) selected Mahomes instead, I’m probably not even writing an article like this about his past!
Instead, half a decade later, Mahomes is enjoying the arguably finest year of his career in 2022. And, barring a steep dropoff in play over the remainder of the season, he’ll likely win his second career MVP as he tries to guide the Chiefs on yet another deep playoff run.
Of all the mind-blowing feats Mahomes produces every week, this might forever stand alone as his greatest magic trick.