Patrick Mahomes could very well have been plying his trade in New Orleans if head coach Sean Payton had got his way back in 2017. 

The Kansas City Chiefs have slowly but surely become a prime contender to be the league’s next dynasty teams that the NFL has to offer, one that could potentially rival the New England Patriots sides of the new millennium, the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s and the San Francisco 49ers of the 1980s. 

Under head coach Andy Reid, they have won the AFC West in each of the past six seasons, whilst also managing a feat that has never been done before in NFL history and that could be a long time coming before it happens again, hosting the conference championship game for four straight seasons, winning two of them and turning those into a Super Bowl victory during the 2019 season.

And a large part of that, arguably the most important part, comes down to the incredible talent that is Patrick Mahomes, who since arriving with the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2017 season, put up 22,372 passing yards and 179 touchdowns across both the regular and postseason heading into the 2022 season, and perhaps more impressively, holding the NFL record when it comes to quarterback rating with a score of 105.8 before this season.

It makes it all the more stunning to look back and consider that he wasn’t the first pick in the 2017 draft, and that he also wasn’t the first quarterback taken in that draft as the Chicago Bears picked up Mitch Trubisky with the 2nd overall pick whilst Mahomes had to wait until #10 when the Chiefs traded up to get him.

But if the Chiefs didn’t trade up, Mahomes’ career would be looking very different right now. 

Patrick Mahomes on The Bayou?

Speaking as part of the FOX NFL kickoff panel on the opening week of the NFL season, former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton revealed that the team came very close to drafting Mahomes, and had even spoken to former franchise quarterback Drew Brees about it to give him the heads up that his replacement could be on the way.

Video: Sean Payton discusses possibly drafting Patrick Mahomes:

The Saints currently have Jameis Winston as their quarterback, who whilst somewhat respectable in the league with 21,251 passing yards and 137 touchdowns, pales into comparison with what Mahomes has managed to put up in less time. 

It just goes to show how much can change the landscape of the NFL on draft night and why if you want to get someone, it sometimes pays off to be risky and go up and get your man.