The rapid rise of Patrick Mahomes took the league by storm in 2018. In his first full season, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback threw 50 touchdowns and won the MVP award to announce his arrival in the NFL.
Now a Super Bowl champion, Mahomes continues to enthrall audiences with his breathtaking performances. Constantly looking to improve, the quarterback is a bag full of tricks.
But like every other athlete, there was one player in particular who influenced his game more than any other. And that player is none other than the man who beat him to clinch the 2020 NFL MVP award — Aaron Rodgers.
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Patrick Mahomes still draws inspiration from Aaron Rodgers
Talking to the NFL Network about his preparation for the upcoming season, Patrick Mahomes said that apart from focusing on physical conditioning, the QB has also been shadowing other big-name quarterbacks in the league to get an idea of how they make the plays they do.
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In fact, Mahomes said it’s something he’s been doing his entire playing career. Right from college, the Chiefs superstar paid close attention to Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers to pick up some of the things that make him great.
“It’s been something that I’ve done kind of my entire career. I remember being in college and coach (Kliff) Kingsbury making me watch Aaron Rodgers. Watch how he plays the game… I could do similar stuff to that. And then there’s stuff that he does that no one else in this world can do,” said Mahomes.
.@PatrickMahomes says he learns a lot from other top QBs in the league…
“I remember being in college and Coach @KliffKingsbury making me watch @AaronRodgers12.” 🙌@Kurt13Warner | @chiefs | #NFLTrainingCamp pic.twitter.com/vA8bNc29wY
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) August 2, 2021
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Patrick Mahomes further said that he still follows the quarterback’s games closely alongside some other big-name NFL QBs.
“I watch a lot of other top guys in the league. I watch guys that are similar to me like Josh Allen and Aaron Rodgers, see what they’re doing to have success.
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And then I watch guys that play the game differently than I do. Guys like Tom Brady, Kirk Cousins, guys that play from within the pocket and have success that way,”
By picking up bits and pieces of everyone’s game, Mahomes is moulding himself to be the dominant QB in the league. And the way he’s going, it might not be long before he surpasses the achievements of his idol Aaron Rodgers.