Patrick Mahomes

Patrick Lavon Mahomes II (born September 17, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He initially played college football and college baseball at Texas Tech University. Following his sophomore year, he quit baseball to focus solely on football. In his junior year, he led all NCAA Division I FBS players in multiple categories including passing yards (5,052 yards) and total touchdowns (53 touchdowns). He then entered the 2017 NFL Draft where he was the tenth overall selection by the Chiefs.
Mahomes spent his rookie season as the backup to Alex Smith. Mahomes was named the starter in 2018 after the Chiefs traded Smith to the Washington Redskins. That season, Mahomes threw for 5,097 yards, 50 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He became the only quarterback in history to throw for over 5,000 yards in a season in both college and the NFL. He joined Peyton Manning as the only players in NFL history to throw 50 touchdown passes and 5,000 yards in a single season. For his performance in his first season as starter, he was named to the Pro Bowl, named First Team All-Pro, and won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year and NFL Most Valuable Player awards. Mahomes, along with Lamar Jackson, Cam Newton, and Steve McNair, is one of four African-American quarterbacks to win the AP MVP award.
During the 2019–20 playoffs, Mahomes led the Chiefs to Super Bowl LIV, their first Super Bowl appearance in 50 years, where they defeated the San Francisco 49ers for their first Super Bowl victory since 1970. Mahomes was awarded the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player for his performance, the second African-American quarterback to win the award after Doug Williams, and youngest overall. He is the third black quarterback after Doug Williams and Russell Wilson as well as the second youngest quarterback after Ben Roethlisberger to win a Super Bowl. 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 second largest known contract in sporting history. He would make the Super Bowl again the following year. However, he would lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9–31, the first loss by double digits in his NFL career. He is the son of former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Pat Mahomes.
Early life.
Mahomes was born in Tyler, Texas, to parents Pat Mahomes, then an MLB pitcher, and Randi Mahomes on September 17, 1995. Mahomes attended Whitehouse High School in Whitehouse, Texas. He played football, baseball, and basketball. He believes that training pitching and playing basketball improved his quarterback skills. In football, he had 4,619 passing yards, 50 passing touchdowns, 948 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns as a senior. In baseball, he threw a no-hitter with 16 strikeouts in a game his senior year. He was named the Maxpreps Male Athlete of the Year for 2013–2014.
Mahomes was rated by Rivals.com as a three-star football recruit and was ranked as the 12th best dual-threat quarterback in his class. He committed to Texas Tech University. Mahomes was also a top prospect for the 2014 Major League Baseball draft, but was not expected to be selected high due to his commitment to Texas Tech. He was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 37th round of 2014 MLB Draft, but did not sign a contract.
College career.
Freshman.
Mahomes entered his freshman season as a backup to Davis Webb. Mahomes saw his first career action against Oklahoma State after Webb left the game with an injury, completing two of five passes for 20 yards for one touchdown and an interception. After Webb was again injured, Mahomes started his first career game against Texas. He completed 13 of 21 passes for 109 yards in the game. Mahomes remained the starter for the season's final three games. Against Baylor, he threw for a Big 12 freshman record 598 yards with six touchdowns and one interception. For the season, he passed for 1,547 yards and 16 touchdowns with four interceptions.
Mahomes split time with the Texas Tech baseball team, where he was a relief pitcher.
Sophomore.
Mahomes began his sophomore season at Texas Tech as the starting quarterback. In the season's first game, Mahomes passed for 425 yards and four touchdowns in a 59–45 win over Sam Houston State University. He followed with a 361-yard passing performance against UTEP, throwing for four touchdowns and rushing for two in Tech's 69–20 win over the Miners. Against TCU, Mahomes passed for 392 yards and two touchdowns in the 55–52 loss. Overall, in the 2015 season, he finished with 4,653 yards, 36 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions.
He only appeared in three games as a baseball player recording no hits in two at bats, while as a pitcher he allowed three runs.
Junior.
Prior to the start of the 2016 season, Mahomes announced that he was leaving baseball to focus on football.
On October 22, Mahomes set multiple NCAA, Big 12, and school records in a 66–59 loss to Oklahoma at home. Mahomes broke the NCAA FBS records for single-game total offense with 819 yards. He tied the NCAA record for single game passing yards with 734. He fell one short of the record for most attempts at 88. Overall, the game set NCAA records for most combined yards of total offense with 1,708 combined passing yards, and total offense by two players (the other was Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield). The 125 combined points are the second most all time involving ranked teams.
Mahomes finished the season leading the country in yards per game (421), passing yards (5,052), total offense (5,312), points responsible for (318), and total touchdowns (53). For his performance, he was awarded the Sammy Baugh Trophy, given annually to the nation's top college passer, joining head coach Kliff Kingsbury, Graham Harrell, and B. J. Symons as other Red Raiders to have won the award. He was named an Academic All-America second team by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Mahomes announced on January 3, 2017, that he would forgo his last year of college eligibility and enter the NFL Draft.
Professional career.
NFL draft.
Mahomes was projected to be a first or second round pick by the majority of analysts and scouts. During the throwing drills at the NFL Scouting Combine, Mahomes' passes were clocked at 60 mph, tying Logan Thomas and Bryan Bennett for the fastest pass ever recorded there. Mahomes was ranked second best quarterback by SI.com, third by ESPN, and fourth by NFLDraftScout.com. Representatives from 28 NFL teams attended his pro day at Texas Tech. He became one of the fastest rising prospects during the draft process and had 18 private workouts and official team visits, the most for any prospect in 2017. Among the coaches that he had workouts and visits with were the Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians, New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, Cincinnati Bengals quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor, and coaches from the Los Angeles Chargers, Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, and Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Kansas City Chiefs selected Mahomes in the first round (10th overall) in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Buffalo Bills traded the 10th overall pick to the Chiefs for their first round pick, third round pick, and the Chiefs' first round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He was the first quarterback selected by the Chiefs in the first round since selecting Todd Blackledge seventh overall in the 1983 NFL Draft.
2017 season.
On July 20, 2017, the Chiefs signed Mahomes to a guaranteed four-year, $16.42 million contract that included a signing bonus of $10.08 million.
The Chiefs announced on December 27, 2017, that with a playoff spot and the fourth seed in the playoffs secured, they would rest starter Alex Smith and give Mahomes his first career start in their Week 17 game against the Denver Broncos. Mahomes played most of the game and helped lead the Chiefs to a 27–24 win, completing 22 of 35 passes for 284 yards with one interception.
2018 season: record-setting MVP.
On January 30, 2018, the Chiefs announced they had agreed to trade Smith to the Washington Redskins, elevating Mahomes as starting quarterback. In his first game as the Chiefs starting quarterback, Mahomes beat the division rival Los Angeles Chargers by a score of 38–28. He threw for 256 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions and a 127.5 quarterback rating. Mahomes was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. His first career touchdown came on a 58-yard pass to wide receiver Tyreek Hill in the first quarter.
The following week, Mahomes threw for 326 yards, six touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 154.8. After throwing his fifth touchdown in the game, he broke the NFL record for most touchdown passes in a quarterback's first three career games. His sixth touchdown pass broke the NFL record for touchdown passes in a season's first two weeks. For his performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mahomes won his second consecutive AFC Offensive Player of the Week award, the first quarterback since Tom Brady in 2011 to start the season with back-to-back player of the week awards. Mahomes was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for September.
In Week 4, against the Denver Broncos on "Monday Night Football", he passed for 304 passing yards and a touchdown to match a rushing touchdown in the 27–23 comeback victory. In Week 6, against the New England Patriots, he passed for 352 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions in a 43–40 loss on "Sunday Night Football". In the following game, Mahomes and the Chiefs bounced back with a 45–10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. In the victory, he passed for 358 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. In the next game, a 30–23 win over the Denver Broncos, Mahomes recorded a third consecutive game with four passing touchdowns on 303 passing yards and one interception. During "Monday Night Football" against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11, Mahomes finished with 478 passing yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions as the Chiefs lost 54–51. His 478 passing yards were the most for a single game by any quarterback for the 2018 season.
Following an 89-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Demarcus Robinson in a Week 17 game against the Oakland Raiders, Mahomes became the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns. Additionally, he became one of seven players in NFL history with 5,000 passing yards in a season. He finished second in passing yards to Ben Roethlisberger. He became the first Chief since Len Dawson in 1966 to lead the league in passing touchdowns. He helped lead the Chiefs to a 12–4 record and their third straight division title.
On January 12, 2019, the Chiefs defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31–13 in the , giving the Chiefs their first home playoff win since the 1993 season. Mahomes threw for 278 yards with no interceptions and rushed for one touchdown. The win allowed the Chiefs to host the first AFC Championship game held at Arrowhead Stadium. Mahomes passed for 295 yards and three touchdowns, but the Chiefs lost to the New England Patriots in overtime 37–31.
Mahomes' performance for the season earned multiple awards. He was named to the 2019 Pro Bowl, he was named First Team All–Pro, 2019 Best NFL Player ESPY Award, and was named Kansas City Club 101 Awards AFC Offensive Player of the Year. He was also named the NFL MVP, the first ever winner for the Chiefs. He was ranked as the fourth-best player by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.
2019 season: Super Bowl champions.
Playing against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mahomes threw for 378 yards and three touchdowns despite star receiver Tyreek Hill's injury in the first quarter and Mahomes second quarter ankle sprain. In Week 2 against the Oakland Raiders, Mahomes threw for 278 yards and four touchdowns in the second quarter alone, the most passing yards in any quarter since 2008. Mahomes finished the game with 443 yards, and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. For the second consecutive season, Mahomes was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for September after leading the Chiefs to a 4–0 start (10 passing touchdowns, 0 interceptions). Mahomes dislocated his patella in Week 7 against the Denver Broncos. The following day, an MRI revealed no significant structural damage. He was initially expected to miss at least three weeks. He returned two weeks later against the Tennessee Titans, throwing for 446 yards, 3 TDs, and 0 interceptions, losing 35–32. Mahomes ran for a career-high 59 yards, but threw for a career-low (for games he finished) with 182 yards in the Chiefs' Week 11 victory over the Chargers. In a Week 16 win over the Chicago Bears on "Sunday Night Football", Mahomes celebrated by counting to 10 on his fingers, alluding to the fact that he was the 10th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and that the Bears could have drafted him with the second pick instead of Mitchell Trubisky. He finished the season with 4,031 yards and 26 touchdowns with only five interceptions. He helped lead the Chiefs to their second consecutive 12–4 record and first round bye, as well as their fourth consecutive division title. He was selected to the 2020 Pro Bowl, though he did not play due to his participation in Super Bowl LIV.
In the Divisional playoff against the Houston Texans, the Chiefs faced a 24–0 deficit early in the second quarter. The Chiefs then went on a 51–7 run, including 41 unanswered points, to win 51–31. Mahomes threw for 321 yards and 5 touchdowns and rushed for 53 yards. In their second consecutive conference championship, playing the Titans, Mahomes threw for three touchdowns and rushed for a 27-yard touchdown, the second longest run of his career and longest in the playoffs. He sparked a comeback from 17–7 in the second quarter to a 35–24 victory. The Chiefs made their first Super Bowl appearance since Super Bowl IV in 1970. In Super Bowl LIV, the Chiefs trailed 20–10 against the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth quarter with 8:53 remaining. It was their third straight game facing a 10+ point deficit. With just over 7 minutes to play, a successful 49ers challenge of a completed catch left the Chiefs facing 3rd and 15 on their own 35-yard-line. Mahomes asked his coaching staff to call the play Jet Chip Wasp, and successfully completed a deep pass to Tyreek Hill for 44 yards. This shifted momentum towards the Chiefs, who in the remaining minutes of the game went on a 21–0 run, securing their first Super Bowl victory in 50 years. Mahomes threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another 29 yards and one touchdown and was named Super Bowl MVP. He was the youngest quarterback and third-youngest player in NFL history to earn the award.
2020 season: Second Super Bowl appearance.
On April 30, 2020, the Chiefs picked up the fifth-year option on Mahomes's contract. On July 6, he signed a ten-year extension worth $477 million with another $26 million in potential bonuses for a total of $503 million. The contract extends through the 2031 season. The contract was at the time the largest contract in American professional sports history, surpassing Mike Trout's 12-year, $426.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels. Mahomes is the first professional athlete to have a half a billion dollar contract. Soccer player Lionel Messi has since surpassed the contract amount.
In the Chiefs' Week 2 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, Mahomes achieved his fourth fourth-quarter comeback. The Chiefs trailed 9–17 entering the fourth quarter before winning in overtime 23–20. The comeback was the NFL record sixth time he overcame a 10+ point deficit to win. In a Week 3 win over the Baltimore Ravens he threw for 385 passing yards, passing for four touchdowns and rushing for one. In the game, he became the fastest quarterback to surpass 10,000 career yards. It took him 34 games to eclipse Kurt Warner's mark. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. In Week 8, he threw for 416 yards and five touchdowns in a 35–9 victory against the New York Jets. Mahomes was again named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. In a Week 9 victory over the Carolina Panthers, he threw for 372 passing yards and four touchdowns. In Week 12 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mahomes led the Chiefs to a 27–24 victory while throwing for 462 yards and three touchdowns. Mahomes was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for November. In 2020, "Sports Illustrated" named him one of their Sportspeople of the Year for his activism following the murder of George Floyd and his encouragement for people to vote in the 2020 presidential election. In Week 14, against the Miami Dolphins, he tied a career high with three interceptions. Mahomes rested for Week 17 after the Chiefs locked up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Mahomes finished the 2020 season with 4,740 passing yards, 38 touchdowns and six interceptions.
In the Divisional Round against the Cleveland Browns, Mahomes left the game in the third quarter after being tackled by Browns linebacker Mack Wilson. Mahomes was diagnosed with a concussion. Due to the concussion, per NFL rules, he was unable to return. The Chiefs would win the game 22–17, allowing the Chiefs to host a conference championship game for the NFL-record-tying third consecutive year, the other instance was during Andy Reid's tenure with the Eagles.
Later that week, he announced in a press conference that he had cleared concussion protocol, saying, "Everything has been good. I went through everything; three or four different doctors have said everything is looking good.'"
In the AFC Championship against the Buffalo Bills, Mahomes threw for 325 yards and three touchdown passes, while leading the Chiefs to a 38–24 victory and their second consecutive Super Bowl appearance. Mahomes became the youngest quarterback to start in three straight AFC Championships. In Super Bowl LV against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mahomes threw for 270 yards and two interceptions in the game as the Chiefs lost 9–31. It was his first double-digit loss in the NFL. It was also the first time since he became the Chiefs quarterback that the offense did not score any touchdowns.
Three days after the Super Bowl, Mahomes underwent surgery to repair a turf toe injury he suffered in the divisional round game against the Browns.
2021 season.
On March 12, 2021, Mahomes restructured his contract to save the Chiefs $17 million in salary cap space.
Personal life.
Mahomes' father Pat Mahomes is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Mahomes is the godson of former Major League pitcher LaTroy Hawkins, who was his father's teammate on the Minnesota Twins.
On September 1, 2020, Mahomes proposed to Brittany Matthews, his high school sweetheart, in a suite in Arrowhead Stadium, the day Mahomes received his Super Bowl Championship ring. Matthews had a brief professional soccer career playing for UMF Afturelding and then became a certified personal trainer. She is also a co-owner of Kansas City NWSL, a women's professional soccer team. Mahomes and Matthews live in Kansas City, Missouri. On September 29, 2020, the couple announced that they were expecting their first child together, a girl. Their daughter was born on February 20, 2021.
Mahomes is a Christian. His mother said he found his faith when he was in middle school, where he was involved with a youth group at his church.
Mahomes was named to "Time" 100's list of most influential people of 2020.
Endorsements.
Following his MVP season, Mahomes received multiple endorsement deals. His first contract came from Hunt's upon revealing his love for ketchup. In addition, he signed endorsement deals with Oakley, Essentia Water, Hy-Vee, State Farm, DirectTV, Adidas, and Head & Shoulders. He also signed an endorsement contract with Helzberg Diamonds who released a line of necklaces featuring his logo. He was named the cover athlete for "Madden NFL 20", becoming the first Chiefs player to be on the cover.
Philanthropy.
In spring 2019 Mahomes established the nonprofit, "15 and the Mahomies Foundation". The nonprofit's website states that it is "dedicated to improving the lives of children."
Following the police involved killing of George Floyd, Mahomes, along with teammate Tyrann Mathieu and several other NFL players, made a video encouraging the NFL to condemn police brutality and violence against black people and to admit it was wrong to silence Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid for their protests during the playing of the National Anthem.
Mahomes and Mathieu started a voter registration project in Kansas City. The project encouraged residents to register to vote in the 2020 Presidential Election. He worked with the Chiefs to encourage players to vote. He joined LeBron James' "Rock the Vote" initiative to encourage people to register and vote.
Sports investments.
On July 28, 2020, Mahomes joined the Kansas City Royals ownership group as a minority stakeholder.