Patrick Mahomes’ injury has some good news — especially for the Chiefs long-term
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Mahomes’ signature plays historically feature him being 'on the move'.
- The article says he 'couldn’t mirror' those mobile plays today.
- The article's title suggests potential long-term benefits for the Chiefs.
The most prominent plays of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ career have a striking commonality — or at least nearly all of them do — and that commonality is something he couldn’t mirror today.
He’s on the move.
It’s the left-handed pass while running from Von Miller; the 27-yard touchdown scramble down the sideline against Tennessee; the 26-yard scramble up the middle to set up a game-winning Super Bowl kick against the Eagles; racing behind the line of scrimmage for 7.2 seconds before finding Chris Conley in the back of the end zone for all of a 4-yard touchdown; a jump-shot to Clyde Edwards-Helaire; a no-look sidearm flick to Jerick McKinnon; or, his personal favorite, sprinting to the right and unleashing a bomb back to his left that somehow hits Tyreek Hill in stride to convert a late fourth down against the Ravens.
He’s anywhere. He’s everywhere.
Well, except for one spot: He’s not sitting in the pocket on any of those plays.
Which brings us to today: He’s only sitting in the pocket, because he’s only been cleared to sit in the pocket.
Mahomes has reached every checkpoint on target while rehabbing from offseason surgery to repair the ACL and LCL in his left knee. That voyage led to him joining his teammates on the field last week as they opened summer practice.
There are, however, some checkpoints still forthcoming. He hasn’t yet been cleared to cut or run — and therefore isn’t cleared yet for full-team drills that feature a rush coming toward him.
It’s different.
It’s awkward.
But is it also potentially beneficial?
Mahomes, 30, attempts to sharpen his footwork every offseason. He attempts to better stick with passing plays every season. This year, that work has been forced upon him.
“I can’t move around,” he said, “so it’s settling my feet down.”
The effect: “It makes me sit in the pocket and go through the reads and do that stuff.”
There’s the benefit, short- and especially long-term.
The Chiefs aren’t trying to turn Mahomes into a pocket quarterback. But if he’s required to operate like one, at least temporarily, there could be lingering effect once everything is back in play.
“Hopefully whenever I get that ability (to scramble) back, I still will go through the progressions at a higher rate than I’ve done in the past,” he said.
The notion that he makes big plays outside the pocket isn’t anecdotal. It’s not selective memory. It’s reality.
Mahomes attempted the fourth-most passes from outside the pocket last season, despite missing the final three games. He ranked second in expected points added (EPA) on out-of-pocket throws. That’s during an off-year and the shortest season of his career.
It’s the trend when things are good, too. In eight seasons as the starting quarterback in Kansas City, Mahomes has finished in the top five league-wide for passes thrown from outside the pocket all but once. He’s led the league three times and finished twice in two other years.
It’s quantity and quality. He’s finished either first or second in EPA on those attempts in four of the eight years.
It’s often how he creates his magic.
For at least this summer — and possibly into training camp — he can’t carry the wand with him anymore.
That’s temporary. But it won’t always be. The day is coming when age will require that the entire subject of this column tilt more toward necessity than luxury.
There is one quarterback whom Mahomes watched most frequently when he was in high school and college. He thinks they’re similar, if far from identical: Aaron Rodgers.
The out-of-pocket throw data, which I collected from Sports Info Solutions (SIS), traces back to 2016. Over a five-year stretch covering the 2016-20 seasons, Rodgers finished among the top-five in pass attempts while outside the pocket every single year. You know, same as Mahomes operates now.
In the five years since — the twilight of his career, the age 38-42 seasons — Rodgers has finished among the top-nine in those attempts just once.
His age demanded he change.
Mahomes, 30, isn’t there yet. He will be. The bigger point: He wants to be.
This is how he can stay effective.
“Especially as you continue to get older, you want to be able to make plays from within the pocket and throw it to the right guys,” he said. “That was going to be something I continue to work at, but now I have no choice.
“If (the play) is not there, I’m not able to scramble, so I have to get through my reads and throw it to the right guy.”
This has come up already in practice.
Over three days last week, Mahomes said he spotted plays that he would usually scramble to try to extend. He can’t, for the moment, and he still doesn’t know if he will be able to when the team opens training camp late next month.
He had to extend plays another way: with his eyes.
It could lead toward a way to extend the longevity of the peak of his career, too.