Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is well-equipped to be the face of not only KC, but the NFL
In the short span since he entered the league in 2017, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has become a star among stars.
Or as one NFL team executive outside of Kansas City said of the Chiefs signal-caller: “The Michael Jordan of this era.”
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Mahomes is that big.
Being the new face of the NFL sounds like a lot to absorb, especially for a young man who turns just 25 on Sept. 17, but dealing with the bright spotlight on center stage, well, the young quarterback takes it in stride.
“I don’t think of it as added pressure,” Mahomes said. “That’s the same mindset that I’ve had since I was a little kid, is I want to go out and be the best in whatever it was, and I’m going to go out there with that mentality every single day.”
The plan is working so far, and it’s helped Mahomes stay grounded since exploding on the scene in 2018, his first season as a full-time starter in the NFL.
Since then, his list of on-field accomplishments has only grown: leading the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl win in 50 years; being named MVP of Super Bowl LIV; and winning the NFL’s MVP award in 2018. Mahomes, the fastest player in NFL history to reach 7,500 career passing yards, holds a 23-7 record as a starter having compiled 9,128 yards and 76 touchdowns with 17 interceptions over the past two seasons.
The Chiefs rewarded their quarterback handsomely in July with a blockbuster 10-year contract extension worth up to $503 million, a deal that keeps Mahomes in Kansas City through 2031.
But he didn’t get to this point on talent alone.
Hello, mega-stardom
From Tom Brady, to Aaron Rodgers, to Adrian Peterson, to J.J.. Watt, to Von Miller and Aaron Donald and Larry Fitzgerald, among so many others, the NFL over the past decade has seen many high-profile superstars.
And pure physical skills can get a player to the top of his game.
But Mahomes seems different. A high level of dedication to his craft, combined with hard work and those amazing physical traits, separate him from the pack.
“You look at him and you go, ‘Well, he’s natural,’” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “Well, no. He does have some natural ability, but he works at it. He’s not just complacent with where he’s at. He’s always working on his game.
“The hours he spends going over the plays when he’s away from the building, it’s a tribute to the kid. He’s completely dedicated to it. I just think for young kids coming up — college kids, high school, the youth leagues — that this guy goes about it the right way, and it’s fun to watch.”
Mahomes also has a willingness to listen, a trait Reid emphasized when explaining how his quarterback’s character allows him to continue learning.
Reid drew on his extensive coaching career to offer this comparison when discussing Mahomes’ humble nature.
“I’ll go back to Reggie White, who is a phenomenal Hall of Famer, and really Brett Favre,” Reid said. “These guys, when I was young in the league, I just noticed that the great ones want you to give them one more thing to even be greater than they already are.
“And they’re very humble that way, and they always continue to learn. That’s the process in which Pat goes. He wants you to coach him.”
In addition to humility and a ceaseless work ethic, Mahomes possesses a desire to embrace competition, and the instinct to tackle it head-first. Those attributes remind Chiefs defensive line coach Branden Daly of the five seasons he spent around Brady and the New England Patriots (2014-18).
Daly said he isn’t keen on player comparisons, but he thinks Brady and Mahomes share an important characteristic.
“The one thing that would stand out to me is their competitive fire and the way they approach the game, the way they bring energy each and every day to their teammates,” Daly said. “I have a tremendous amount of respect and I’m happy and fortunate for the opportunity to share the same field and same team as them.”
Chiefs quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka, who crossed paths with Brady and Peterson during his playing career, agreed.
“The thing that Pat brings is his competitive spirit is incredible,” Kafka said. “He’s able to lift and build up the guys that are in that huddle, build himself up as well with his confidence. I think that right there — his competitive spirit — that’s what separates him and that’s what makes him great.”
So talent, work ethic, humility and competitive fire are just some of the ingredients that makes Mahomes who he is on the football field. But even that elite combination of traits might fall short of greatness if not for what he’s done to ensure there’s always a quality support group around him.
“It’s a thing where it’s going to take a lot of people around me, as well,” he said. “I’m trying to surround myself with a lot of great people, and then I feel like the Kansas City Chiefs organization is surrounding me with a lot of great teammates.”
New generation
It wasn’t too long ago that Brady, Rodgers, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning were the NFL’s quarterback elites.
Brady, Rodgers and Brees are still playing, but now it’s Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson, Dak Prescott and even an emerging Kyler Murray who are commanding the headlines.
And what the latter group has in common isn’t lost on Wilson.
“For me, when I came in the league there weren’t too many short quarterbacks, first of all,” Wilson said. “There weren’t too many Black quarterbacks that were starting, not many in the league, to be honest with you. I’ve had other guys before me that have played, that gave me the opportunity and allowed me to be able to play this game.
“I never take that for granted, and I’m so grateful for that. So, for me, I believe and I hope that I opened up doors for other guys, other young kids who want to be great at something despite their circumstances or what people may say you can and cannot do. And hopefully I continue to do that.”
When told of Wilson’s comments, Mahomes nodded.
“You open the door not only for Black quarterbacks, but quarterbacks of every single race that haven’t had those same opportunities that I’ve had in the past,” Mahomes said. “I think it just shows that you can’t put someone in a certain position based on the color of their skin or where they come from.
“You really listen, kind of like anything else in the world. You really just know who that person is, what aspirations they have and how they can really lead the team. I’m just excited you see the change going on in the NFL, and hopefully it can transition to the rest of the world.”
Before Mahomes was named league MVP in 2018, just two Black quarterbacks had been so honored since The Associated Press launched the award in 1957: Steve McNair, who was named co-MVP with Manning in 2003, and Cam Newton in 2015.
Now, the NFL has seen two Black quarterbacks earn MVP in consecutive years: Jackson won in 2019. Additionally, in the recent NFL Network’s Top 100 List, as voted by players around the league, three Black quarterbacks made the overall top five: Jackson at No. 1, Wilson No. 2 and Mahomes No. 4.
Has the NFL finally reached a place where skin color and skills stereotypes no longer matter?
Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy thinks so.
“You have to understand, I grew up in a day and age where I watched James Harris and Doug Williams do it at a high level,” Bieniemy said. “But watching these young guys, these young gunners, they’re obviously African-American quarterbacks and they’ve done a hell of a job.
“But ... it’s time to stop labeling. If these guys can play the position, let them play. The only thing you want is to give people an opportunity to be at their best. Those kids have done a great job of relishing everything.”
While Mahomes appreciates this shift in how Black quarterbacks are viewed, he maintains that there’s still work to be done.
“I think we’re getting close,” Mahomes said. “I think you see the change in football the last few seasons. You’re seeing guys can play the sport in many different ways. It’s not the thing, ‘Oh, he’s a Black quarterback; he’s a running quarterback.’ You’re seeing guys that are sitting in the pocket making those throws, you’re seeing guys that are running, you’re seeing guys that are athletic. You’re seeing now it’s just a person playing.”
Embracing responsibility
Much like Jordan did during his decorated playing career in the NBA, Mahomes wields power now. And it’s not limited to the city for which he plays.
Look no further than Mahomes’ involvement with an NFL player-led video calling for change in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. His participation in the viral video, which drew the support of Reid and Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt, led to a phone call with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about Black Lives Matter. Soon after the players’ video debuted, Goodell issued his own video supporting the movement.
Mahomes’ community presence in Kansas City is embodied in his “15 and the Mahomies Foundation,” which is dedicated to helping children and has donated $225,000 to local charities.
Mahomes also joined the Royals’ ownership group, becoming the youngest part-owner of a major professional sports team in history. He’s also involved in helping to spur voter registration ahead of this fall’s general election.
While he carries a lot of responsibilities on the field as the quarterback of a Super Bowl-championship football team, Mahomes embraces the opportunities this role presents and uses his platform to effect positive change.
The face of the Chiefs franchise and, increasingly, the NFL takes none of this lightly.
“To be in the situation that I’m in, I’m not going to take it for granted,” Mahomes said. “I’m going to execute and do whatever I can every single day so that I can say I have no regrets when I’m done with my career.”
