Chiefs rookie Patrick Mahomes II will wear No. 15
In a bit of a surprise, Chiefs rookie quarterback Patrick Mahomes II will wear No. 15, the team announced before its three-day rookie minicamp on Saturday.
Mahomes, who wore No. 5 at Texas Tech, said after his introductory press conference that he was leaning toward wearing No. 4 or No. 7. Kicker Cairo Santos, a Pro Bowl alternate in 2016, currently wears No. 5.
"(No. 15) still has the five in it a little bit,” Mahomes said. “But at the same time, I was actually 15 my freshman year of basketball. So I just went back to that and wanted to make my own number and do a new thing in this next chapter of my life."
Other rookie numbers for the Chiefs: Defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon will wear No. 92 – his college number – while running back Kareem Hunt, who wore No. 3 in college, chose No. 27 over No. 30 and No. 34.
“Twenty-seven, I felt it looked like me a little bit,” Hunt said. “Honestly, it really doesn’t matter. It’s about going out there and playing ball.”
Receiver Jehu Chesson will wear No. 80, while inside linebacker Ukeme Eligwe will wear No. 45. Safety Leon McQuay will wear No. 34.
Terez A. Paylor: 816-234-4489, @TerezPaylor. Download Red Zone Extra, The Star's Chiefs app.
This story was originally published May 6, 2017 at 11:07 AM with the headline "Chiefs rookie Patrick Mahomes II will wear No. 15."