Why the Chiefs Knew Patrick Mahomes Would Be Special During His Rookie Season

Patrick Mahomes‘ greatness was recognized in Kansas City before he became the Chiefs‘ starting quarterback.

In an interview with FS1’s “First Things First,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt shared that Mahomes was making plays in practice that amazed him and general manager Brett Veach, with one of the plays being a no-look pass by the star quarterback.

“Periodically, [Veach] would send me a clip from practice of Patrick doing special stuff,” Clark said. “He sent me this one and the headline said, ‘No look pass.’ I was like, ‘What’s a no-look pass in football? I know what it is in basketball.’ Sure enough, it was Patrick in practice, looking one way and throwing the ball the other way and completing it.

“Of course, we would later see him do that against the Baltimore Ravens in an important game later in the 2018 season. It’s just amazing. Then, almost every week we saw him do something where you said, ‘Wow, I’ve never seen that before on a football field.’”

After sitting behind Alex Smith during his rookie season in 2017, Mahomes took the league by storm when he became the Chiefs’ starting quarterback in 2018. He made jaw-dropping plays seemingly every week that year, just like the throw that Clark mentioned. On that play, Mahomes had his eyes dart toward the middle of the field before throwing a 16-yard completion to Demarcus Robinson as he was running toward the left sideline.

While Mahomes didn’t become the Chiefs’ full-time starter until 2018, he did make a start at the end of his rookie season. His stat line in his first start (284 yards, one interception) against the Denver Broncos wasn’t all too impressive, but Clark said that he “certainly looked like somebody who was going to be a very good NFL quarterback in that game.”

So, when Mahomes threw for 10 touchdowns in the first two games of the 2018 season, Clark and the Chiefs felt validated in their belief from what they saw from him when he was a backup in 2017.

“I would say, really, the first time we all realized how special he was and what we had was the next year in the first couple of weeks,” Clark said. “We played the Chargers out in LA, and he had a tremendous game. I remember him throwing a wheel route to one of our fullbacks on the left side of the field. It was just one of those throws where you go, ‘Wow, that was really special.’

“Then, the following week, we went to Pittsburgh, a place that we had a lot of difficulty getting a victory, and that game was over by halftime. I think he and [Travis] Kelce connected for three or so touchdowns. We couldn’t believe it because it was so special.”

On top of throwing for 10 touchdowns in those first two games, Mahomes had an eight-game stretch from Weeks 2-9 in which he threw for at least 300 yards during the 2018 season. The Chiefs won seven of those games as Mahomes went on to throw for 50 touchdowns and 5,097 yards that year, winning MVP.

Mahomes’ legend has only grown since then, winning three Super Bowl titles and making five Super Bowl trips in the following six seasons. He’s also continued to defy what’s possible at the quarterback position, throwing a behind-the-pack pass in a preseason game during the 2024 season.

But what stands out just as much to Clark about Mahomes, though, is his work off the field.

“Patrick’s a tremendous ambassador for the city, all around,” Clark said. “Not only is he an amazing quarterback — maybe the greatest of all-time — but he’s also somebody that everybody in Kansas City is proud to call one of their own. He’s invested in many businesses in Kansas City.

“His foundation has done tremendous work throughout the city. He’s really used the platform that he’s had to make a difference. As a leader in our locker room and for the franchise, you just can’t say enough good things about him.”

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