The 2024 NFL playoffs will culminate in the Super Bowl in Las Vegas on Feb. 11. One of the two starting quarterbacks in that game is very familiar to most football fans: the Kansas City Chiefs ' Patrick Mahomes .
Mahomes is a two-time NFL MVP award winner and one of top quarterbacks in the league. He's known for his stellar play on the field as well as numerous endorsements off of it . Here's what you need to know about Patrick Mahomes :
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Patrick Mahomes was born September 17, 1995 in Tyler, Texas. His father Pat pitched for 11 years in Major League Baseball, primarily with the Minnesota Twins (1992-1996). Pat also played for the Boston Red Sox , New York Mets , Texas Rangers , Chicago Cubs , and Pittsburgh Pirates .
Mahomes played football, baseball, and basketball for Whitehouse High School in Whitehouse, Texas, south of Tyler. He threw for 4,619 yards and 50 touchdowns in addition to 948 yards and 15 touchdowns rushing as a senior for the Wildcats, per MaxPreps stats .
247Sports rated Mahomes as a three-star recruit with an overall grade of 87. He was the 47th-ranked quarterback in the Class of 2014. Future NFL quarterbacks David Blough (44th), Trace McSorley (37th), Mason Rudolph (27th), DeShone Kizer (14th), Deshaun Watson (seventh), Will Grier (fourth), and Kyle Allen (first) were among the quarterback prospects ranked ahead of him.
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Texas Tech , Oklahoma State , and Rice were the only programs to give Mahomes an offer out of high school. He chose Texas Tech - a program fresh off an eight-win season and a Holiday Bowl victory with a history of proficient passers.
He saw his first action for the Red Raiders as a freshman after starter Davis Webb left Texas Tech's game against Oklahoma State with injury. He'd end up starting the last three games of the season for Texas Tech and set a Big 12 conference freshman record with 598 passing yards against Baylor .
Mahomes started all 13 games as a sophomore at Texas Tech. He threw for 4,653 yards and 36 touchdowns as the Red Raiders went 7-6. That team had the second-highest scoring offense in college football that season but the fourth-worst scoring defense.
In his junior season, Mahomes set multiple school records that still stand. His performance against Oklahoma is one of the greatest single-game passing stat lines in college football history. He completed 52 of 88 passes for 734 yards, all school records, in a 66-59 loss. His 734 yards tied the FBS record for most yards in a single game.
Despite Mahomes' incredible 2016 season powering the fifth-best scoring offense, the Red Raiders finished 5-7 thanks to the worst scoring defense in college football.
In his three-year college career, Mahomes threw for 11,252 yards, 93 touchdowns, and 29 interceptions with a 152.0 quarterback rating. His career yardage and touchdown totals are the most for a three-year player in Texas Tech history.
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After a prolific career, Mahomes was considered to be a first-round pick by scouts. Mock drafts had him going anywhere from 13th to 27th overall.
During the 2017 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs traded up with the Buffalo Bills . Kansas City gave up their first-round pick (27th overall), a third-round pick (91st), and a first-round pick in 2018 to Buffalo in order to move up to 10th overall and draft Mahomes.
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Mahomes sat behind Chiefs starter Alex Smith as a rookie in 2017. Smith mentored Mahomes while leading Kansas City to an AFC West title with the sixth-best scoring offense in the league. Smith made his third Pro Bowl that season before the team traded him to Washington to make way for Mahomes.
Mahomes' 2018 season was one of the best in the league. Here's how his regular season stats break down per year as a starter:
| Year |
Record |
Yards |
TD |
INT |
Completion percentage |
Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 |
12-4 |
5,097 |
50 |
12 |
66.0 |
113.8 |
| 2019 |
11-3 |
4,031 |
26 |
5 |
65.9 |
105.3 |
| 2020 |
14-1 |
4,740 |
38 |
6 |
66.3 |
108.2 |
| 2021 |
12-5 |
4,839 |
37 |
13 |
66.3 |
98.5 |
| 2022 |
14-3 |
5,250 |
41 |
12 |
67.1 |
105.2 |
| 2023 |
10-6 |
4,183 |
27 |
14 |
67.2 |
92.6 |
He's been equally prolific in the playoffs as well.
| Year |
Record |
Yards |
TD |
INT |
Completion percentage |
Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 |
1-1 |
573 |
3 |
0 |
59.7 |
98.9 |
| 2019 |
3-0 |
901 |
10 |
2 |
64.3 |
111.5 |
| 2020 |
2-1 |
850 |
4 |
2 |
65.0 |
90.8 |
| 2021 |
2-1 |
1,057 |
11 |
3 |
73.0 |
118.8 |
| 2022 |
3-0 |
703 |
7 |
0 |
72.0 |
114.7 |
| 2023 |
3-0 |
718 |
4 |
0 |
68.0 |
100.7 |
Mahomes is arguably the best quarterback in Kansas City Chiefs history. He's the only Chiefs quarterback to win the NFL MVP award. He's second in franchise history in career yards (28,424), touchdowns (219), and wins (74) behind Len Dawson. Of Kansas City's 23 playoff wins as a team, Mahomes has quarterbacked 14 of them.
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Despite only playing six full seasons as a starter, Mahomes is already one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. He's one of just nine quarterbacks in NFL history with multiple MVP awards. The others are Hall of Famers Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana, Steve Young, Brett Favre, Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning as well as Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers .
His career passing yards per game (296.1) is most all-time in NFL history and he's second to Rodgers in career passer rating (103.5). His 219 career touchdowns are 39th all-time but, at his current pace, Mahomes could reach the top 10 in career passing touchdowns in four years.
After the Chiefs' win over the Ravens in the AFC championship game, Mahomes moved up to third all-time in postseason wins for NFL quarterbacks with 14. Only Brady (35) and Montana (16) have more.
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Super Bowl MVP (LIV, LVII)
NFL MVP (2018, 2022)
Pro Bowl (2018-2023)
First-team All-Pro (2018, 2022)
Second-team All-Pro (2020)
NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2018)
Mahomes married his high school sweetheart Brittany (née Matthews) in March 2022. Brittany played soccer for University of Texas-Tyler and set single-season records as a senior with 40 points and 18 goals. Her career totals of 78 points, 31 goals, and 111 shots on goal are second in program history . She played in five games for the Icelandic soccer team UMF Afturelding and scored two goals before retiring.
The couple have two children: their daughter Sterling Skye Mahomes (born 2021) and son Patrick "Bronze" Lavon Mahomes III (born 2022). They also are part of the ownership group of the National Women's Soccer League's Kansas City Current. Mahomes also has invested in the MLB's Kansas City Royals , MLS' Sporting Kansas City, and the Formula One team Alpine .
Mahomes' charity 15 and the Mahomies aims to improve the lives of children and works with organizations including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Kansas City, Lubbock, and East Texas, the Make-A-Wish foundation in Missouri and Kansas, and Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools.
Mahomes famously enjoys ketchup on many foods, including Thanksgiving turkey , macaroni and cheese, and steak - at least according to a State Farm commercial . As of 2019 , he also has an expansive shoe collection of 180 pairs.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Patrick Mahomes? Everything to know about Chiefs' star QB
