At 21, Patrick Mahomes got the chance that changed everything, how an overlooked quarterback rose to NFL stardom
Mahomes became Kansas City’s starting quarterback in 2018, and he responded with one of the most remarkable first seasons by a quarterback in NFL history. At just 23, he threw for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns and won the NFL MVP award. It is the story of someone who was overlooked at 18, questioned at 20 and given time to develop at 21 before becoming an NFL star at 23.
Mahomes’ rise is not simply the story of a talented quarterback becoming famous. What separated him was not that he avoided difficult moments. He faced them, learned from them and kept moving forward. That journey from an overlooked Texas teenager to one of the NFL’s biggest names is what makes Patrick Mahomes’ story stand out.
At 20, Mahomes was still trying to prove that his unusual style could work at the highest level. The biggest change came in 2017, when Mahomes was 21. Patrick Mahomes did not enter football as a player everyone expected to become a star. Growing up as the son of former MLB pitcher Pat Mahomes, he had plenty of sports around him, but his own path was uncertain. He played football, baseball and basketball and was not considered a top quarterback prospect coming out of high school. A few years later, he had changed the conversation completely. Those performances finally brought serious attention from NFL scouts. However, questions remained about whether his playing style would work in the NFL. He made unusual throws from different angles, relied heavily on his arm strength and played in an offense that was different from many NFL systems. The Chiefs traded up to select him with the 10th overall pick in the NFL Draft. Instead of immediately throwing him into the starting role, Kansas City allowed him to spend his rookie season learning behind veteran quarterback Alex Smith. That year gave Mahomes time to understand the professional game without carrying the pressure of being the team’s starter.