Passing on Patrick Mahomes got more than a half-dozen GMs fired
Patrick Mahomes has been a generational talent for the Chiefs, but other franchises have been left in turmoil and changeovers after passing on the QB.
On the field, there’s no denying that Kansas City Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the grim reaper. His run of success both individually and with the team since taking over the starter has been unbelievable, as are the plays he routinely makes on Sundays. It has to be a true nightmare for any defensive coordinator to contend with.
It’s also been a nightmare for the nine NFL teams that passed on the Texas Tech product in the 2017 NFL Draft.
As pointed out by Packers writer Wendell Ferreira on Twitter, of the nine franchises that chose not to take Mahomes in 2017 before the Chiefs traded up from No. 27 to No. 10 in order to take him off the board, only the San Francisco 49ers — who incidentally drafted one of the bigger busts of the class in DE Solomon Thomas at No. 3 — have not fired their head coach or general manager since then.
Passing on Patrick Mahomes led to all but one team firing either GM or head coach
In the time since Mahomes was drafted by Kansas City, the Browns, Bears, Jaguars, Titans, Jets and Panthers have all fired their GMs. Meanwhile, the Browns, Bears, Jaguars, Titans, Jets, Chargers, Panthers and Bengals have all fired at least one head coach.
It gets even worse for Cleveland, a franchise that has fired two GMs and two coaches, the most of any of the nine teams — though you’d have to argue they are still happy with the investment in No. 1 pick Myles Garrett. The Bears (two coaches), Jags (two coaches), Jets (two coaches) and Panthers (coaches) have also made multiple firings at the same position since passing on Mahomes.
For some of the franchises, the reason to pass on Mahomes was at least somewhat passable. But perhaps the worst look was for Chicago, who not only took Mitchell Trubisky over Mahomes but traded up to the No. 2 pick from No. 3 to do so after biting on a 49ers smokescreen.
Alas, hindsight is always 20/20 and fans undoubtedly still lament their favorite team not drafting Patrick Mahomes. But perhaps no one regrets it more than the nine GMs who made that decision.
