The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are heading to a showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12 festivities. However, Bucs head coach Bruce Arians could've been on the same side as Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes if the stars aligned back in the 2017 NFL Draft when he was still coaching the Arizona Cardinals.
That year, Arians flew together with team president Michael Bidwell to hold a workout for Mahomes at Texas Tech. As told by ESPN‘s Adam Schefter, Arians only had high praises for the gunslinger as he fondly looked back to that moment.
“He probably had the best workout of any kid I went and worked out personally — he and Andrew Luck were the two by far on the board,” Arians recalled.
“Unbelievable ability.”
Armed with the 13th overall pick, the Cardinals had their eyes on Mahomes and already wanted to grab him but the Chiefs beat them to it. Led by head coach Andy Reid, the team traded up to get the 10th spot and eventually got the opportunity to select Mahomes on draft night.
The Cardinals needed a change in plans and opted to select Temple linebacker Haason Reddick who remains with the team to this day. Still in search of their franchise quarterback, the Arizona-based squad selected UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen with the 10th overall pick in the following year.
Things didn't go as expected and the Cardinals eventually made a U-turn and selected the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback in Kyler Murray out of Oklahoma with the top overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
On the other hand, Mahomes initially played behind veteran playmaker Alex Smith but eventually took over the reins under center. He was able to snag a handful of the league's most prestigious awards in the 2018 NFL MVP honors, two trips to the Pro Bowl, and a Super Bowl LIV title along with a championship game MVP.
A few years later, Arians eventually found himself in a more favorable position as the Buccaneers immediately turned into potential title contenders in the 2020 NFL season.
Despite the what-ifs that could've happened back in the day, the multi-titled coach will aim to lead his team to a statement win against the reigning Super Bowl champions in Week 12 proceedings.
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