What If Mahomes Got Drafted by the Jets? A Thought I Can’t Shake

I’ve been watching football since I was a kid. Sunday nights, nachos, yelling at the TV like the players could actually hear me. And over the years, I’ve seen some quarterbacks rise fast and fade even faster. But Patrick Mahomes? That guy feels different. He’s not just talented he’s straight up magic.

But lately, I’ve been thinking about something. What if Mahomes wasn’t drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs?

What if he landed somewhere else like the New York Jets, or the Bears, or some other team stuck in a cycle of bad management, weak rosters, and constant chaos?

Would we still be calling him “generational”? Would he still have two rings and a league MVP? Or would he be another name on the list of “what could have been”?

Let’s talk about it.

First off, Mahomes is ridiculously talented, nobody’s denying that

Before anyone jumps in the comments with “You’re just a hater,” let me be clear: Mahomes is incredible.

He makes throws I didn’t think were physically possible. Off balance, sidearm, across the field, with a pass rusher in his face and still drops it into a bucket. His football IQ, vision, and instincts are off the charts. The guy plays chess when most QBs are just trying to stay on the board.

But here's the thing: raw talent doesn't win Super Bowls on its own. Ask any number of insanely gifted quarterbacks who got drafted by the wrong team at the wrong time and never recovered.

Mahomes landed in the perfect situation and that matters

People forget that when Mahomes entered the league, he wasn’t thrown into the fire. He sat behind Alex Smith, a solid vet, and learned the game for a year. He had Andy Reid an offensive wizard who’s been building smart schemes since most of us were in high school.

And he had weapons:

Travis Kelce, one of the best tight ends to ever play
Tyreek Hill, the fastest dude on the field almost every game
A strong O-line that gave him time to be creative
A coaching staff that gave him freedom to be himself

That’s not luck it’s smart football. But it’s also something that most young QBs never get.

Now imagine Mahomes lands in New York with the Jets. No Andy Reid. No Kelce. Probably on his third head coach by year two. Learning behind... who? Josh McCown? Maybe Sam Darnold is still there and it becomes a QB battle. The line collapses every third snap. The fans boo after one bad game. The media hypes him up then tears him down a week later.

Would Mahomes still become the player we know today?

Honestly, I don’t think so.

The NFL is brutal if you don’t land in the right spot

It’s not just about being great, it’s about being great in the right place at the right time.

Look at guys like Trevor Lawrence. He got drafted to the Jaguars when they were a mess. First year was a nightmare. Urban Meyer was busy making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Trevor looked shaky, uncomfortable. Then they cleaned house, brought in Doug Pederson, gave him a proper structure, and suddenly... he looks like a real franchise QB again.

That could’ve been Mahomes if he had the misfortune of landing on a team that didn’t know what to do with him.

Sam Darnold is another name. The dude had real potential. But he got drafted by the Jets. That team has ruined more quarterbacks than I can count. No consistency. No development. Just a mess.

It’s not about hating, it’s about giving credit where it’s due

People act like saying “Mahomes benefited from a great system” is an insult.

It’s not.

Tom Brady had Belichick. Joe Montana had Bill Walsh. Peyton Manning had a rock solid offense and consistency from year one. Greatness in football isn’t just about personal talent it’s about fit.

The Chiefs fit Mahomes.

They let him be himself. They gave him weapons that matched his style. They gave him space to grow without pressure from day one. And in return, Mahomes lit the league on fire.

It was a partnership. And it worked.

So what happens if he was drafted by the Bears?

Picture this.

It’s 2017. The Bears need a QB. They trade up... and draft Mahomes instead of Trubisky. At first, everyone praises them. But they pair Mahomes with John Fox. They run a conservative offense. No Kelce. No Tyreek Hill. The O-line is shaky. He’s forced to make things happen too early, too often. And when it doesn’t work?

The media flips.

Suddenly, he’s not “special.” He’s “reckless.” “Inconsistent.” “Can’t read defenses.” He gets benched. Then maybe traded. Then maybe... forgotten.

That’s the scary part.

Mahomes didn’t just survive, he thrived because the conditions were right

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1635908480408736

The NFL eats up talent and spits it out. Every year, new names come in with crazy highlight reels from college. But the ones who last the ones who actually make history, usually have one thing in common:

They landed in the right system.

Mahomes did.

That doesn’t make him less of a superstar. It makes him lucky and smart. He took advantage of the opportunity, put in the work, and delivered on the biggest stage. But let’s not pretend it was only about his talent.

What this means for fans like us

I think about this a lot, especially when we see new QBs get drafted every April. Everyone wants to anoint “the next Mahomes.” But the truth is... there probably won’t be one.

Not because there’s no talent, but because the stars might not align like they did for Patrick.

So when I watch Mahomes do something ridiculous on a Sunday, like throwing a no look pass while falling backward, I appreciate it more. Because I know how easily we might’ve missed this version of him entirely.

If he had landed on the wrong team, in the wrong system, with the wrong coach?

We might be calling him “Patrick Who?”