Patrick Mahomes To Be Kansas City Chiefs’ Starting QB In 2018

The Kansas City Chiefs traded incumbent starting quarterback Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins on Tuesday paving the way for former Texas Tech QB Patrick Mahomes to take over the offense in 2018.

Finally, an Air Raid Era Texas Tech quarterback will have the opportunity to be a starter in the National Football League.  Patrick Mahomes is now the expected starter in Kansas City following the Chief’s trade of 2017 starter Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins.

Mahomes was the Kansas City backup quarterback last season as a rookie.  However, he was impressive enough in the preseason and in his week 17 start against Denver to allow the Chiefs to feel comfortable moving forward with him at quarterback next year.

The move is by no means a surprise considering the Chiefs traded a 2018 first round pick as well as 2017 third round pick to the Buffalo Bills to move up to take Mahomes at pick No. 10 in last year’s draft.  As the 2017 season progressed, Smith struggled down the stretch and after the Chiefs were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round, most assumed that the Patrick Mahomes era was soon to begin.

This development is significant for Texas Tech football as well.  No modern era Texas Tech quarterback has earned a starting job in the NFL leading many to suggest that Red Raider quarterbacks are not prepared to play at the next level. That sentiment has frequently been used against Texas Tech by opposing coaches on the recruiting trail.

Now, Mahomes has the chance to blow that narrative out of the water.

Last August, he opened eyes around the NFL with his impressive and exciting preseason play.  In four games, he went 34-54 for 390 yards and four touchdowns.  The rookie also did not throw an interception while racking up a fantastic quarterback rating of 109.3.

Then, in his first career regular season start, Mahomes completed 22-35 passes for 284 yards and one pick while leading Kansas City to a comeback win at Denver.  The game marked the first time a Texas Tech quarterback started an NFL game since Billy Joe Tolliver in 1999.

Now the Chiefs are hoping to see what Texas Tech fans saw from Mahomes.  From the moment Mahomes took over as the Red Raiders’ starter as a freshman in 2014 he wowed people with his arm strength.  And with offensive weapons like wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelcee, Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid wants to see Mahomes push the ball down field more than the naturally conservative Alex Smith.

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That’s something Red Raider fans are confident Mahomes can do.  And for sure, everyone in the Texas Tech family will be eager to see what their favorite son does this fall.