“I Looked at the Big 12 as a Gimmick League”: Chad Kelly Says He Wasn’t Aware of Patrick Mahomes Before First Meeting

For as much as everyone loves a good college career, success at that level still seldom transfers to the NFL. From Tom Brady to Ryan Leaf, there’s certainly no shortage of instances where the same quarterback can look like two completely different players after transitioning to the pros.

According to the former Clemson quarterback, the same can be said for him and the current face of the league, Patrick Mahomes. During a recent interview, the current signal caller of the Toronto Argonauts recalled the time in which he unknowingly crossed paths with the modern-day G.O.A.T.

“We were walking into the quarterback coach’s office, he was walking one way and I was walking the other. And he was like… “Dude, I saw that play against Georgia you had. That was the most insane play I’ve ever seen in my life. …I wish I could do some sh*t like that,” he recalled.

Even though Kelly was more than appreciative of the praise, he also noted that he “didn’t really know Patrick Mahomes at the time.” He had recalled seeing Texas Tech produce a 700-yard passing total in a game, but the CFL quarterback also admitted that “I just looked at the Big 12 as a gimmick league where they are throwing it every single down.”

Nevertheless, it’s safe to say that there’s nothing gimmicky about Mahomes’ game. The Texas product has managed to collect three Lombardi trophies and a plethora of accolades since his discussion with Kelly, and is well on his way to becoming the heir to Tom Brady’s throne.

Thankfully, things managed to workout for Kelly as well. Despite having a lackluster college career, one that saw him transfer from Clemson to Ole Miss after playing just five games with the Tigers, Kelly proved to do well for himself in the minor leagues.

The nephew of the NFL Hall of famer, Jim Kelly, was able to ink a three-year, $1.865-million contract with Argonauts. At the time, the deal made Kelly the highest-paid player in the CFL.

Kelly was originally drafted by the Denver Broncos in seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft, but a professional career just wasn’t in the cards for him. After a brief stint with the Broncos, Kelly would sign on with the Indianapolis Colts.

Ultimately, his NFL career would come to an end having only recorded one official pass in the league. For better or worse, Kelly’s NFL career has a sum total of zero pass attempts and one rush attempt, a QB kneel, for negative one yards.