When Patrick Mahomes spoke about 'falling in love' with football: "I wanted to see where it took me"

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was a dual sport athlete in high school. His dad, Patrick Mahomes Sr., was a pitcher in the MLB. He was even selected in the 2014 MLB draft, but he knew football was his true love.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated in May 2018, Mahomes described when he realized he wanted to pursue a career in football.

"I didn’t start playing football a lot until I was in high school," Mahomes said. "I played it in seventh and eighth grade, but I didn't play Pop Warner or anything. But as a junior [at Whitehouse (Texas) High], I really fell in love with the game—the challenges you have every single play, how you have to read the defense and decide what to do. So when the MLB draft came around, I knew I didn’t want to give up football.

"I wanted to see where it took me, so I decided I wanted to go to college. ... Coach Kliff Kingsbury at Texas Tech helped develop my game and get me to where I am today."

Mahomes also said the opportunity to further his education was a factor that pushed him toward football.

Patrick Mahomes gave insight into how he dealt with mistakes during early days with Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes didn't get playing time in his rookie season until Week 17. He faced the Denver Broncos after the Kansas City Chiefs had already clinched a playoff spot, and Alex Smith was given the final game off.

In his first full season as a starting quarterback in 2018, Mahomes learned that if he made a mistake on the field, such as an interception, he needed a short-term memory. He told Sports Illustrated in 2018 that he gave himself a pep talk after the first interception.

"I remember going to the bench and just sitting there and thinking, 'Well, you got that out of the way,'" Mahomes said. "I had been feeling jumpy and jittery and really excited when the game started, and after that interception, it’s almost like it settled me down and helped me get back into the mind-set of not trying to do too much."

The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback has learned how to overcome mistakes and has found tremendous success throughout his young career.