How Patrick Mahomes almost became a New Orleans Saint.
Football greatness is rare. When you see it, you know it, and for many, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes exemplifies that to perfection.
Just ask Sean Payton, the former New Orleans Saints head coach.
“He’s the best,” Payton said to “The Herd” host Colin Cowherd on Monday. “There’s no argument.”
In reality, Payton has noticed Mahomes’ potential since his time at Texas Tech and nearly selected him in the 2017 NFL Draft.
“I remember [scouting] him in college,” Payton said. “We viewed all of the film, and it was obviously a more difficult situation for him because he lacked the manpower that some of these other teams had. Next, we provide him with a playbook for the installation process. We put him in a room for approximately half a day, and he was fantastic. Then we go out on the field to throw and work out; it’s windy down there.
“He reminded me of (Brett) Favre because he could contort his body and generate speed on the ball without having his feet properly aligned. As a result, he excelled at some of these off-schedule throws. When we finished, I told my staff, ‘We’re going straight to the plane. We are not stopping anywhere, and no one knows we are here. ‘That is our quarterback. Fast forward to the draft, and we’re drafting at 11. As the draft progresses, cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore and Patrick Mahomes remain available. And 10 is on the clock, Buffalo is there, a trade has occurred, the Chiefs climb into 10, and I turn to the room and say, ‘Here goes Mahomes.’ So both sides win, but he is the best I’ve seen.
“I wrote in my report, ‘The only thing I don’t like is the squeaky voice,'” Payton said with a laugh.
Cowherd was not surprised by Payton’s assessment of Mahomes, who had praised his five-touchdown, 360-yard performance against the Cardinals in Week 1.
“Mahomes is very competitive,” Cowherd added. “I think Mahomes compartmentalizes it and keeps it to himself.”During the offseason, all he heard was “Joe Burrow and Josh Allen.”‘ There was a top 100 list, and everyone said, “Oh, Aaron Rodgers is on a different level.” Tyreek Hill stated, ‘Tua [Tagovailoa] is the most accurate quarterback I’ve ever played with. After yesterday, Patrick Mahomes is 5-0 in Week 1 with 18 touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passing rating of 137. Despite his greatness, even when he’s dominating and winning prizes,
