Patrick Mahomes: The Chicago Bears legendary quarterback that never was
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was selected by the Chicago Bears in the 2017 NFL Draft. That, of course, is a false statement, but most Bears fans would wish it to be true.
Mahomes was indeed drafted in 2017, but he was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs 10th overall, and we all know how the story goes. The former Texas Tech star backed up Alex Smith for a year before becoming arguably the best player in the NFL.
According to B/R's @kalynkahler, the Bears told Mahomes in March 2017 that he was their top QB and gave the "strong" impression they would draft him.
That further explains why he counted to 10 on his fingers while beating Chicago last season.
bit.ly/3cYSqke https://t.co/BfktNhFmB5
Mahomes has led the Chiefs to three Super Bowl appearances, winning two. He has also won two regular-season MVP awards and a pair of Super Bowl MVPs. Despite having only six seasons under his belt, he would probably be a first-ballot Hall of Famer if he retired now.
Meanwhile, the Bears needed a quarterback in 2017. Instead of picking at No. 3, they pulled off a trade with the San Francisco 49ers and moved up a spot to No. 2. Chicago then selected North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
Just a quick reminder that the Bears traded up to draft Mitchell Trubisky 8 picks before Patrick Mahomes. https://t.co/zvA81gvSJK
To land the No. 2 pick, the Bears had to give San Francisco the third overall pick, a third-round pick (67th overall) as well as a fourth-rounder (111th overall) in 2017. They also had to part with a 2018 third-round pick.
Trubisky played just four seasons with Chicago before spending a year backing up Josh Allen in Buffalo. He started five games for the Pittsburgh Steelers last season.
Although he has accomplished a few things like making the Pro Bowl in 2018 and helping the Bears reach the playoffs twice, Trubisky isn't exactly the larger-than-life elite quarterback Mahomes is.
What if Patrick Mahomes was drafted by the Bears?
In 1984, the Portland Trail Blazers could've drafted Michael Jordan, but they took Sam Bowie instead. MJ became the greatest basketball player ever, while Bowie turned out to be one of the biggest busts of all time. There are many "could've" moments in sports history, especially when it comes to the draft.
The Bears coud've passed up Trubisky and selected Mahomes, but in Chicago's defense, they didn't know what kind of player Mahomes was going to become. If they did, they definitely would've taken him.
Would Patrick Mahomes have won MVP awards and Super Bowls had he had ended up in the Windy City instead of Kansas City? No one can tell for sure.