Alex Smith Gets Honest on Whether Rookie Patrick Mahomes Was ‘Good Enough’ to Replace Him in 2017

Patrick Mahomes, like Tom Brady, had to wait for his chance to be the starting QB. However, many still wonder why Mahomes wasn’t made the starter immediately over a struggling Alex Smith. While some may argue that the rookie didn’t move any heads in practice, Smith revealed that his backup was simply too good not to start in 2017.

During his appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show,” Smith discussed how impressive Mahomes was as a rookie, admitting that he delivered an exceptional performance nearly every single day. Not only that, Mahomes was determined and consistent, arriving at the team facility even before the starting quarterback.

As Smith recalled:

“Patrick beat me into the building almost every day that entire year, like he didn’t do it for a week. [he did it for] All year.”

Alex noted that from his early days, the rookie out of Texas Tech came across as extremely curious and obsessed with football. Patrick was fearless, even trying his now-famous no-look passes in practice. From Smith’s perspective, watching his backup make those throws with the scout team was a clear warning that his spot was in jeopardy.

Unfortunately for the veteran quarterback, the worst came true as the Chiefs traded him to Washington on January 30, 2018. After a year-long wait, Mahomes finally got the keys to his throne. And the rest, as they say, is history.

That said, while it’s debatable whether being a year on the sidelines helped Mahomes adapt to the league better, Smith surely feels it was the right decision.

Smith echoes the same sentiment as Tom Brady

Brady recently stirred up controversy by criticizing the practice of promoting rookies to QB1 too soon. For the GOAT, the ideal way to integrate rookies into the NFL is by having them learn the hardships from the sidelines — a lesson missed with players like Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams, who were thrown into the deep end right away. Well, Smith agrees with this stance.

While the GOAT’s reasoning was more from a learning perspective, the former Chiefs QB echoed a similar sentiment but focused on the financial and expectation management side. Smith pointed out that the expectations on a first-round QB today have never been higher.

With rookie QB1s statistically having the worst success rate, Smith believed that teams should invest as much time as needed in aspiring prospects to get the best return. He said:

“I think if you’re taking a quarterback in the first round, you should do everything in your power to make sure they are ready to roll… The expectations on a first-round quarterback, it’s so much, it’s so heavy. The game is so different today, it’s like the worst success rate in the NFL… so I generally think that like, why not have them over-prepared?”

Smith, however, did concede that the new-age rookie QBs are different from their counterparts from his era. Be it CJ Stroud or Caleb Williams, the former Chiefs QB noted that these players played so much football in college that they were almost physically ready for the NFL.

The rest, of course, depends on the environment. Moreover, with NIL giving rookies early exposure to fame and money, the new-age QBs have an advantage there as well.

All that said, the decision remains with the coach. While HCs like Kyle Shanahan and Kevin Stefanski give youth a chance, an old head like Andy Reid might not do the same.