Patrick Mahomes has touched unprecedented heights in just eight years in the NFL. He’s already managed to win five AFC Championships and three Lombardi trophies for the Kansas City Chiefs, becoming the greatest signal caller in the history of the franchise. And he figures to continue cementing his place as the greatest Chief of all time in the 2025 regular season.
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Mahomes is now projected to shatter his predecessor’s career record. The former face of Kansas City, Alex Smith, retired with a career total of 35,650 passing yards, good enough to place him in the 31st spot in NFL history.
The Chiefs’ new golden boy has already managed to accumulate 32,352 passing yards, and needs to only produce 3299 more to take Smith’s place in the all-time rankings. Seeing as he’s currently averaging an astounding 4,910 passing yards per 17-game season, barring any major setbacks or injuries, Mahomes is poised to overtake Smith with ease.
Should Mahomes stay in line with his average and produce exactly 4,910 passing yards in 2025, he would finish the season with a career total of 37,262 passing yards, the 30th most in NFL history. Heading into the 2026 regular season, that would place him just 14 yards shy of Donovan McNabb’s record.
While some players may be bothered by the fact that the next man up managed to break their records, Smith showed nothing but gratitude and humility during the process of passing the torch to Mahomes. The two of them have shared a palpable friendship ever since they first crossed paths.
During a recent interview, Smith revealed that “He [Mahomes] was at my house on Thanksgiving.” Determined to fulfill his role as a mentor, Smith was more than willing to show Mahomes the process behind everything.
From gameday preparations to showing him how the team handles wins and losses, the veteran made sure that his successor was well equipped for the life that was ahead of him. Even after the pads had come off, Smith felt obligated to continue teaching the talented youngster about the dos and don’ts of everything else that comes with being a starting quarterback in the NFL.
“He’s a young guy like, we’d go out at QB dinners, and I have to tell him, ‘Stop putting ketchup on your steak. This is a nice steakhouse, we don’t have to drink Coors Lite, Patrick,‘” recalled Smith.
According to Smith, the prevailing culture within the Chiefs’ locker room is that “you do everything together.” So the best way to convey that message was to take Mahomes with him everywhere.
Mahomes may go on to break his records, and he may have already stolen his place as the most celebrated quarterback in franchise history. But Smith’s humility allowed for a peaceful and seamless transition into the modern dynasty that we know today.
That act alone will be more than enough to keep Smith in the hearts of the Kansas City faithful for the foreseeable future.
