Playing the “what if” game is always a dangerous one. But we’re about to anyway. What if the Bills did draft Super Bowl winning, MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes in 2017?
A report on Wednesday states that had team owner Terry Pegula had his way, or at least insisted that things were done how he wanted, perhaps likr Jerry Jones would do, the current Kansas City Chiefs QB would be playing for the Bills right now.
According to a report in the newly-founded NFL newsletter Go Long with Tyler Dunne (subscribe), the team’s co-owner wanted to draft Mahomes with the No. 10 overall pick at the 2017 NFL Draft. Former team executives Doug Whaley and Jim Monos both backed that Pegula mentioned multiple times prior to the draft that he was very impressed with the Texas Tech QB.
Naturally it’s important to preface that the Bills are currently 7-3 and in the driver’s seat to win the AFC East with their 2018 first-round pick and starting quarterback Josh Allen. Everyone at One Bills Drive is happy with the way things currently sit.
But in the report, Whaley even reportedly told Pegula “This is your team,” prior to the 2017 draft, in an attempt to explain that he has the final say because it was widely-known by the Bills’ scouting staff that the owner loved what Mahomes could do.
However, it doesn’t take much more than an educated guess to see what happened in the end. Just prior to the 2017 draft, Sean McDermott was hired as head coach. He clearly did not want Mahomes at the No. 10 overall pick, so the Bills traded back with the Chiefs, took Tre’Davious White there, and eventually landed Allen with extra first-round picks via the Chiefs deal.
We all already knew McDermott was pulling the strings at the year’s draft because hours after it, the front office was cleaned out, including Whaley and Monos. A week-plus later, Brandon Beane was hired as general manager.
Again, we all lived happily ever after (or happier than a 17-year playoff drought).
But in an added twist, in 2017, the Bills still had hoped Mahomes would be there in a trade back to pick No. 27. Despite McDermott’s relationship with Chiefs head coach Andy Reid (their relationship was probably helpful in pre-draft trade discussions), the Bills were not sure what QB that Reid & Co. coveted with the No. 10 pick. Could it be Deshaun Watson (who went No. 12)? Nope, it was Mahomes, and now here we are.
As stated: Things did workout for both the Bills and the Chiefs. KC has risen to higher levels than Buffalo since 2017, but who knows what could have happened with the “what if” scenario here. Maybe Mahomes is ran out of western New York for liking ketchup on his chicken wings like he does with his steak? Maybe the Bills win a Super Bowl already?
Or… maybe we can just keep riding into the 2020 postseason with Allen and see what happens and just admit that maybe this Pegula guy had it right on Mahomes?
For much, much more on Allen, Mahomes, and the Bills’ fortunes moving forward, click here and visit Go Long with Tyler Dunne (subscribe).
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