“I’ll never forget Eric Berry coming up to me like, ‘Damn, did you see the throw he made in practice today?'” Alex Smith chuckled while reminiscing about Patrick Mahomes’ rookie season. In a candid conversation on The Ryen Russillo Podcast (October 25, 2024), Smith pulled back the curtain on his final year with the Kansas City Chiefs – a season that would reshape NFL history.

Every morning in 2017, Smith arrived at the Chiefs’ facility ready for his usual routine. But something kept catching his eye. His rookie understudy was already there, beating even the 13-year veteran to the building. When Russillo asked him about it, Smith revealed, “To go over that entire year, he beat me to the building most mornings. At this point, I was so dialed into my preparation, how seriously I took it, and how structured it was. And Patrick was just glued to that quarterback room, to everywhere I went.”

The young quarterback tagged along everywhere – from film sessions to team dinners, even ordering Coors Light at bars, much to Smith’s amusement. “Everywhere we went, we did it together.” The stats tell one side of the story. Smith was coming off arguably his best NFL season, yet behind those numbers lay an untold tale of mentorship. Andy Reid put it bluntly back in August: “Patrick owes him a new home. He showed Patrick how to be a professional.”

That investment paid off spectacularly. Just last month, Mahomes broke Len Dawson’s 49-year-old franchise record of 28,507 passing yards. Smith, who ranks fourth in Chiefs history with 17,608 passing yards, celebrated the milestone with characteristic grace. “What you’ve done for this team, this city, and everyone who’s ever worn a Chiefs jersey is nothing short of incredible,” Smith shared in a congratulatory video released September 6, 2024.

Had it not been for Smith putting the franchise above his personal goals – putting the rookie’s development before his future – who knows what Mahomes’ career trajectory would’ve looked like? And the current Chiefs quarterback is all too aware of it. His mentor’s impact resonated in Mahomes’ own words. “I came in, and I was just relying on my talent,” the Chiefs‘ superstar admitted on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Then I watched Alex work… I’m still doing the exact same process that he was doing that first year.”

When the Chiefs drafted Mahomes as the 10th overall pick in 2017, Alex Smith knew he could’ve very well thought about himself and done everything to stay with the Chiefs. But instead, he embraced being a mentor. And toward the end of the 2017-18 regular season, Smith knew Mahomes was ready to step up.

It was the final game of the regular season (Week 17 against the Broncos), and Kansas City had already booked its place in the postseason. The outcome of this game wouldn’t have affected the Chiefs’ playoffs. So, Andy Reid decided to play with Mahomes and “a bunch of backups,” as Smith put it on The Ryen Russillo Podcast. Making his first NFL start, the rookie quarterback registered 22-of-35 pass completions, throwing for 284 yards and 1 interception.

“He’s out there playing an NFL game with a bunch of backups,” Smith said, and “just how easy and prepared” Mahomes was told the former Chiefs signal-caller all he needed to know about Mahomes’ future in the NFL. A week later, Alex Smith started the game against the Titans in the Wild Card Round, and the Chiefs lost 21-22. “When I lost the playoff game, it was very apparent what was about to happen.”

Before the 2018-19 season began, Smith was traded to the Washington Commanders, and Patrick Mahomes became the starting quarterback for Kansas City.

Breaking through the Quarterback controversy

By mid-season 2017, whispers echoed through Arrowhead Stadium. The rookie was making waves in practice, starting with no-look slants before graduating to 20-yard dig routes. “Dude, you’re a rookie,” Smith recalled thinking, amazed by Mahomes’ rapid development. 

“It wasn’t hugs and kisses,” Smith explained to Russillo about his mentorship style. “He got an up-close look for an entire year. It was nothing I said – I wasn’t whispering him secrets about playing quarterback in the film room.” This hands-on approach transformed into immediate success. Mahomes exploded onto the scene in 2018, throwing for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns en route to NFL MVP honors.

The decision to help groom his replacement wasn’t automatic. “If you’re p*ssed off, you’re distracted,” Smith reflected. “Like, if you’re so p*ssed to the point [that] every time you see this guy, and it’s upsetting you, you’re not doing your job, which is getting ready to play.” His selfless approach stands in stark contrast to other veteran quarterbacks. Russillo pointed out how Aaron Rodgers had hinted at Brett Favre’s reluctance to mentor, while Ben Roethlisberger’s reaction to Mason Rudolph’s drafting raised eyebrows. As for Alex Smith, he had another reason, too, for helping Mahomes get used to the NFL way of life.

“My experience as a top pick certainly played a big role in this. It was turbulent; there was no plan. I didn’t get to watch anybody.” Drafted by the 49ers as the No. 1 overall pick in 2005, Smith was thrust into the role of a quarterback, playing 9 games that season and starting 7. All he could do was learn from every game he played without having anyone to look up to. But in the end, it all seemed to work out for the quarterback.

Smith’s blueprint has produced staggering results: three Super Bowl victories in five years for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. The student continues paying homage to his teacher. “Some guys can be mean about helping a highly drafted guy,” Mahomes acknowledged back in August. “But he taught me a lot of stuff, and I try to utilize that stuff to make myself better.”