5 NFL teams who tried hard to get Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes

Patrick Mahomes is off to one of the best starts of any quarterback in NFL history. He has helped the Kansas City Chiefs make it to the playoffs in each of his first four seasons as a starter, while also winning an NFL MVP award, Super Bowl ring, Super Bowl MVP award, and two Conference Championship games.

The Chiefs appear to have hit the jackpot when they selected Patrick Mahomes during the 2017 NFL Draft, but they weren't the only team that expressed serious interest in the quarterback. Here are five teams that reportedly desired Mahomes, but ultimately missed out on drafting him, according to a recent article by Arrowhead Pride.

New York Giants

New York Giants HC Ben McAdoo

The New York Giants were apparently beginning their search to find their future quarterback who would follow up Eli Manning, who was nearing the end of his legendary career. Ben McAdoo, the Giants' head coach during the 2017 NFL Draft, reportedly wanted to move up so they could draft Patrick Mahomes.

The Giants were unable to draft Mahomes because he was off the board before the Giants were ever on the clock. Two years later, they drafted Daniel Jones instead, who is definitely not Patrick Mahomes, to say the least.

Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks GM John Schneider

Despite having Russell Wilson on their roster, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider was reportedly heavily interested in Mahomes as a prospect. He scouted some of his games at Texas Tech, watched closely during the NFL Combine, and even attended his private Pro Day prior to the 2017 NFL Draft.

According to league sources at ESPN, the Seahawks would have drafted Mahomes had he fallen to them late in the first round. Mahomes was selected long before the Seahawks went on the clock, but Russell Wilson was reportedly unhappy with Scheider's interest in a new quarterback.

New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints HC Sean Payton

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton stated during an NFL broadcast that Patrick Mahomes was the best college quarterback he'd ever evaluated. The Saints had the 11th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, and he claimed that, if Mahomes was available, the Saints would have drafted him.

Payton even went so far as to notify Drew Brees , their quarterback at the time and an absolute legend of the Saints organization, ahead of the draft that they were planning on taking Mahomes if he was still there when it was their pick. The Saints never got the opportunity, as the Kansas City Chiefs traded up to the 10th pick, one spot before the Saints, to steal him away.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin

The Pittsburgh Steelers were in the process of planning for their future beyond Ben Roethlisberger, who was nearing the last stages of his NFL career around the time of the 2017 NFL Draft. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin admitted he interviewed Patrick Mahomes several times leading up to the draft as the organization was interested in potentially selecting him.

Patrick Mahomes was selected long before the Steelers were ever on the clock, but Roethlisberger continued to give them relatively successful seasons for the next five consecutive years. The Steelers finally moved on to the future during the 2022 NFL Draft when they selected quarterback Kenny Pickett.

Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals HC Bruce Arians

Head coach Bruce Arians was still with the Arizona Cardinals ahead of the 2017 NFL Draft. He admitted that the Cardinals were planning on drafting Patrick Mahomes, but they were shocked when the Chiefs decided to take him instead because they still had Alex Smith on their roster.

Arians lasted just one more season in Arizona following the draft, where they felt they got robbed of their quarterback. Two years later, the Cardinals drafted Kyler Murray to be their future franchise quarterback.