Want to feel unaccomplished?
Patrick Mahomes, who is considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, is not even 30 years old yet.
Mahomes turned 29 on Tuesday, and he’s not even been on this plant for 30 years. His list of accomplishments is reminiscent of a CVS receipt that is how long it is.
Born in – gulp, 1995 – Mahomes was a dual-sport athlete, playing football and baseball for the Texas Tech Red Raiders when he got to the university in 2014. As a freshman at Texas Tech, he played baseball and football. He continued to play baseball as a sophomore, where he was also named the Red Raiders starting quarterback. Ahead of his junior season in 2016, he announced he was leaving baseball to focus on football. In 2016, Mahomes set multiple NCAA, Big 12, and school records before declaring for the draft.
The Chiefs selected Mahomes 10th overall in the 2017 NFL draft after making a trade with the Buffalo Bills.
As a rookie, Mahomes backed up Alex Smith as quarterback for most of the season before getting a chance to start since the Chiefs had already clinched a playoff spot. In the Chiefs’ 27–24 win, completing 22 of 35 passes for 284 yards and one interception. After the Chiefs traded Smith to the now-Washington Commanders, Mahomes was elevated to starting quarterback for the 2018 season.
In his first game as the Chiefs starting quarterback in 2018, Kansas City beat the division rival Los Angeles Chargers, 38–28 behind Mahomes’ 256 yards and four touchdowns. In his first season, Mahomes was able to lead the Chiefs to the AFC Championship before losing to the New England Patriots in overtime. A star was born, as he was named NFL MVP for the first time in his career.
In the 2019 season, Mahomes led the Chiefs to Super Bowl LIV, their first Super Bowl appearance in 50 years. They beat the San Francisco 49ers and Mahomes was awarded Super Bowl MVP – the youngest overall ever player to win.
In 2020, Mahomes signed a 10-year contract extension worth $477 million with another $26 million in potential bonuses, for a total of $503 million, making it the fourth-largest known contract in sporting history.
In 2021, the Chiefs were back in the Super Bowl where they lost to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In the 2022 season, Mahomes truly solidified his status as one of the greatest quarterbacks ever winning a second career NFL MVP and his second Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowl LVII. Despite an average season for the Chiefs in 2023, they found themselves back in Super Bowl LIV for a rematch with the 49ers, where they won yet again.
Mahomes has also been named to the Pro Bowl six times and is a three-time NFL All-Pro.
Can Mahomes lead the Chiefs to their third-straight Super Bowl victory? To start the 2024 season they are 2-0. In the opening game of the season, Mahomes passed Len Dawson as the Chiefs’ all-time passing yards leader.
