“Helped me have a lot of success” - When Patrick Mahomes opened up on Alex Smith after finishing first season as Chiefs’ starting QB

After Patrick Mahomes was drafted as the 10th pick in 2017, he received support from his teammates during his rookie season, including quarterback Alex Smith. Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid had a systematic plan to groom Mahomes into a weapon that would bring success to the franchise.

Although Smith was aware that Mahomes might eventually replace him, he fully embraced the arrival of the talented rookie from Texas Tech. Mahomes finally got his opportunity to start in 2018 after spending a season on the bench — and the rest is history.

On ESPN’s "SportsCenter" in February 2019, Mahomes reflected on his time with Alex Smith in 2017 and shared how it shaped his career:

“I mean, it's a tremendous impact on my career. I mean, he helped me learn how to become a professional quarterback. It's so much different in college. In college, you study film, you go in, but you only play against a certain number of defenses.

"Not everybody plays all the defenses that the NFL has, so being able to watch Alex and listen to how he talked about football — seeing the blueprint of how he structured his week — helped me build my blueprint and contributed to my success this year.”

When Smith was informed about Mahomes' draft, he was shocked. Despite knowing that his time was probably up, Smith helped Mahomes after realizing how talented Mahomes was.

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Andy Reid credits Alex Smith for Patrick Mahomes' stellar career

Although Andy Reid knew Patrick Mahomes was talented enough to start as a rookie, he deliberately kept him on the bench for a season as part of a larger plan that involved Alex Smith. During a news conference before Super Bowl LIX, Reid reflected on Smith’s influence on Mahomes:

“I’m not saying he couldn’t have been as great as he is now if he hadn’t sat. But to be with Alex Smith — I thought that was something you can’t buy. And I think that’s helped him in that part of his career. I’m sure if he stepped in as a rookie and played, he probably would have been just as great as he is, but I think that helped for sure."

While Smith led the Chiefs to the playoffs in four of his five seasons, he was traded to the Washington Commanders in 2018. His replacement, Mahomes, has since elevated the team to greater heights. Under his leadership, the Chiefs have been the NFL's most dominant team since 2018.