Patrick Mahomes can Cement Hall of Fame Status with a Win Sunday

At just 27 years of age, Patrick Mahomes is the best talent the NFL has ever seen at quarterback. With a win Sunday, he would cement his status as a first-ballot Hall of Fame player in the NFL. That means if his career ended and he played no other games in the league, he would still be a Hall of Famer, despite only starting five full seasons in the NFL.

Many doubted Mahomes coming out of college, most scouts thought he was too loose with his mechanics and would be turnover prone once he entered the league. I remember thinking he would most likely land in the second or third round of the 2017 NFL draft when he announced his declaration to the NFL Draft.

Red Raider Nation watched as his draft stock skyrocketed into the first round. When the Kansas City Chiefs traded up to select him, many were shocked they selected Mahomes over Deshaun Watson, who was projected to be drafted above him.

From his first starting season in 2018, Mahomes was different. He was paired with arguably the best offensive coach in NFL history Andy Reid, and was groomed for one season by veteran quarterback Alex Smith. There were very few glitches in his throwing motion, and his passes seemed effortless, even the ones that dazzled spectators across the world.

He has accomplished what many quarterbacks spend entire careers chasing after in just five seasons. Mahomes not only won an MVP Award and AP Offensive Player of the Year in his first season as a starter, but he also set too many records to count. He’s the first quarterback in NFL History to start five consecutive Conference Championship games at home. He’s the second-youngest quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl (Ben Roethlisberger) and is second in playoff wins before age 25 (also Roethlisberger).

Mahomes currently has the 84th-most passing yards in NFL History, behind many who did not and will not make the Hall of Fame. His impact on the NFL is simply more than stats.

He’s changed how franchises have to build their teams. Just in the last year alone, his division has changed so much. The Denver Broncos mortgaged their future to get Russell Wilson. The Las Vegas Raiders traded multiple picks to Green Bay to acquire Star wideout Davante Adams and are now looking to upgrade at quarterback from Pro Bowler Derek Carr. The Los Angeles Chargers are continually adding pieces and offensive weapons to bolster their young quarterback as well.

Not only that, he’s changed how teams run their offenses. There’s very little ball-control football anymore. Everyone’s goal now is to put 30 on the scoreboard to keep up with a quarterback like Mahomes. That can be seen with the amount of offensive weapons teams stack now.

With a win on Sunday, Mahomes vaults himself to elite status as a player. He’d be the 13th quarterback in NFL History to win multiple Super Bowls and he’ll be the third-youngest to ever win multiple Super Bowls (both Brady and Roethlisberger won their second at age 25).

You can’t write this chapter in NFL History without Patrick Mahomes. As illustrated, his impact has been more than on the field, it’s impacted how NFL teams build rosters and how the game is played.

Not bad for a kid from Texas Tech.