Patrick Mahomes

Patrick Lavon Mahomes II is an American professional football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). After becoming the team's starting quarterback in 2018, he led the Chiefs to seven consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances and five Super Bowl appearances, winning three titles. He is one of five quarterbacks in NFL history to win three or more Super Bowls as a starter. Mahomes was born on September 17, 1995, in Tyler, Texas, to Pat Mahomes, a former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher, and Randi Martin. He attended Whitehouse High School in Whitehouse, Texas, where he played football, baseball, and basketball, earning the Maxpreps Male Athlete of the Year award for 2013–2014. Selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 37th round of the 2014 MLB draft, he chose not to sign and instead committed to Texas Tech University. Playing college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Mahomes split time with the university's baseball team during his first two years before focusing exclusively on football as a junior. In 2016, he led the NCAA FBS in passing yards (5,052) and total offense (5,312), tied the NCAA single-game passing record with 734 yards, and set the NCAA record for single-game total offense with 819 yards against Oklahoma. He won the Sammy Baugh Trophy as the nation's top college passer before deciding to forgo his senior season. Mahomes was selected 10th overall by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2017 NFL draft. After spending his rookie season backing up Alex Smith and starting one game, he took over as the starting quarterback in 2018. That season, he threw for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns, joining Peyton Manning as the only players in NFL history to record 5,000 passing yards and 50 touchdowns in a single season. His performance earned him the NFL MVP and NFL Offensive Player of the Year awards. In the 2019 season, Mahomes led the Chiefs to a victory in Super Bowl LIV, earning Super Bowl MVP honors as the youngest quarterback to win the award. In 2020, he signed a 10-year contract extension worth over $450 million. He led the Chiefs back to the Super Bowl that season, though they lost Super Bowl LV. During the 2022 season, Mahomes led the league in passing yards and touchdowns, won his second NFL MVP, and was named Super Bowl MVP after winning Super Bowl LVII. He won a third Super Bowl MVP the following year after winning Super Bowl LVIII to secure back-to-back titles. In the 2024 season, he reached his third straight Super Bowl, though the Chiefs lost Super Bowl LIX. Recognized outside of football, Mahomes was included in Time's 100 most influential people in the world in 2020, 2023, and 2024.