“Plays Like He’s in the Backyard” Andy Reid Reveals Trust in Patrick Mahomes Came From Being Close to Another Texan Gunslinger

It’s not every day that a franchise trades up in the NFL draft to secure a quarterback for the team, despite having a former No 1 overall pick QB on the roster already. That is exactly what happened with the Kansas City Chiefs when they decided to bet on future superstar Patrick Mahomes in 2017. The Chiefs were already thriving under former 1st pick Alex Smith. However, head coach Andy Reid saw something in Mahomes. Traits he had seen many years ago in another legendary quarterback hailing from the same area.

In a recent interview with Rich Eisen, the 2x Lombardi-winning head coach spoke in length about his adoration for Patrick Mahomes. However, it wasn’t Reid who scouted and touted Mahomes before the NFL. Instead, it was Green Bay Packers quarterback and a former student of Andy Reid, Brett Favre, who was responsible for sealing Mahomes.

Andy Reid saw Favre in a young Patrick Mahomes

Patrick Mahomes changed the dynamics in the NFL with his arrival, bringing the Super Bowl trophy to Kansas City after half a century. He followed it up with a second Lombardi in the 2022 season, along with bagging his second Super Bowl MVP honor. That’s two championships in four years, including a third appearance ending in a loss. Surely, Reid’s assessment of the Texas Tech quarterback’s talent and arm strength was pinpoint and accurate. However, before Reid, it was Brett Favre who proclaimed the coming of Mahomes.

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Patrick Mahomes enamoured the former Packers passer on first sight, with Favre describing him as “unbelievable and the best” he’d ever seen. Favre was scouting the entire Texas area and the southeast region of the country, known for the production of skilled college football players. And Mahomes was the cream of that region. Also, Reid, who had won a championship as an assistant coach with ‘Gunslinger’ Favre before, saw many similarities between him and a young Mahomes. “He kind of plays like he’s in the backyard and he has fun doing it,” Reid said.

Mahomes has already proven Favre right by surpassing his Lombardi count. And Reid wasn’t the only legendary head coach who saw the Favre fire in Patrick Mahomes.

Sean Payton also compared Mahomes to Brett Favre

The greats have an eye to spot the best talents. Just like Andy Reid, former Saints and present-day Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton made the exact same assessment of a young Pat Mahomes. During an appearance on Colin Cowherd’s podcast, Payton said, “He reminded me of Favre because he had that, not just gunslinger, but he could torque his body and he could create speed on the ball without his feet having to be set, or perfectly set, so some of these off-schedule throws, he was very good at.”

Aaron Rodgers has already been following Favre’s career trajectory with a move from Green Bay to New York. However, Mahomes will stick to just the playing similarities as his Chiefs starting spot remains secure, without a doubt. Will any of the 2023 draft class quarterbacks show the same potential as Mahomes or Favre?

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