Patrick Mahomes

Lore & Background

Mahomes played college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, winning the Sammy Baugh Trophy as a junior after leading the FBS in passing yards and total touchdowns. He was selected 10th overall by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2017 NFL draft and spent his rookie season as the backup to Alex Smith. In 2018, after the Chiefs traded Smith, Mahomes became the starter and threw for 5,097 yards, 50 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He is the only player in NFL history to record 5,000 passing yards and 50 touchdowns in a single season.

For his performance in his first season as a starter, he won the NFL Most Valuable Player award, becoming one of four black quarterbacks to win the AP MVP award. In the 2019 season, Mahomes led the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl in 50 years, winning Super Bowl LIV. Mahomes was awarded the Super Bowl MVP for his performance, becoming the second-youngest quarterback and the second Black quarterback to earn the honor. In 2020, Mahomes signed a 10-year contract extension worth over $450 million, making it one of the largest contracts in sports history.

That season, the Chiefs returned to the Super Bowl but lost in Super Bowl LV. In the 2022 season, Mahomes led the league in passing yards and touchdowns, won NFL MVP, and earned Super Bowl MVP after winning Super Bowl LVII. He won his second Super Bowl MVP after winning Super Bowl LVIII the following year, leading the Chiefs to back-to-back titles. In the 2024 season, he led the Chiefs to their third straight Super Bowl but lost Super Bowl LIX, falling short of a historic three-peat.

Mahomes was among Time's 100 most influential people in the world in 2020, 2023 and 2024 which is tied for the second most selections for a professional athlete.

Reader's Guide

Mahomes was born on September 17, 1995, in Tyler, Texas. His father is Pat Mahomes, a former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher, and his mother is Randi Martin. Mahomes has a younger brother, Jackson, who is a social media influencer. Mahomes's parents got divorced in 2006.

His half-brother through his father, Graham Walker, plays football at Rice University after transferring from Brown University. He is also the godson of former MLB pitcher LaTroy Hawkins, who was his father's teammate on the Minnesota Twins. Mahomes is biracial. His father is black and his mother is white.

Mahomes attended Whitehouse High School in Whitehouse, Texas. He played football, baseball, and basketball. Mahomes believes that training in pitching and playing basketball improved his quarterback skills. Growing up, Mahomes was a fan of the Dallas Cowboys.

In football, he had 4,619 passing yards, 50 passing touchdowns, 948 rushing yards, and 15 rushing touchdowns as a senior in high school. 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 received offers from Texas Tech, Rice, and Houston. He committed to Texas Tech University. Mahomes was also a top prospect for the 2014 Major League Baseball draft, but he 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 the 2014 MLB draft, but he did not sign a contract.

In college, Mahomes entered his freshman season at Texas Tech as a backup to Davis Webb. He saw his first career action against Oklahoma State after Webb left with an injury, completing two of five passes for 20 yards for one touchdown and an interception. He started his first career game against Texas, completing 13 of 21 passes for 109 yards in a 34–13 loss. Against Baylor, he threw for a Big 12 freshman record 598 yards with six touchdowns and one interception in a 48–46 loss.

For the season, he passed for 1,547 yards, 16 touchdowns, and four interceptions in seven games. Mahomes split time with the Texas Tech baseball team as a relief pitcher. As a sophomore, he started and led the Red Raiders to a 7–6 season.