Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes had a historic first season as a starter, throwing for 5,097 yards, 50 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 66 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 113.8.
As a result, Mahomes made the Pro Bowl, earned a First-Team All-Pro selection and captured the MVP award, a string of events that Chiefs general manager Brett Veach felt was imminent:
“You knew it was inevitable, it was coming,” said Veach, according to Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. “I would say the thing that surprised me was the ease at which he did it, the consistency at which he did it.
“Even with the great players who are young, I think you always anticipate maybe [hitting] a wall. At some point after seven or eight weeks [opposing defenses] figure this kid out. They throw a couple of different looks, coverages or combinations that give him issues, but there was never really any issues. There was never really a time where that happened.”
Mahomes, who played his collegiate football at Texas Tech, was originally selected by Kansas City with the 10th overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft. However, due to the fact that Alex Smith was still under center for the Chiefs that season, Mahomes came off the bench.
Recognizing Mahomes' talent, Kansas City proceeded to trade Smith to the Washington Redskins that ensuing offseason, opening the door for Mahomes to take center stage as the starter.
Obviously, that proved to be the right decision and then some.
The Chiefs won 12 games and landed the AFC West division title this past year before ultimately falling to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
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