Alex Smith claims he ‘knew’ his time as the Chiefs’ QB was up the moment the team drafted Patrick Mahomes

Former Chiefs QB Alex Smith knew his time as a starter was limited the day he saw Patrick Mahomes practicing.

Alex Smith claims he ‘knew’ his time as the Chiefs’ QB was up the moment the team drafted Patrick Mahomes

Alex Smith was a great mentor to Patrick Mahomes. (Via AP)

The Kansas City Chiefs fate turned around in 2017 when the team took the decision to draft Patrick Mahomes 10th overall in the draft, thus sending a message to their existing QB at the time, Alex Smith, that his time was effectively up. Ever since the team moved on to Mahomes in 2018, there has been no looking back.

The former NFL quarterback appeared on ‘The Pat McAfee Show‘ and stated that he knew his future as the starting quarterback was in jeopardy after the arrival of Patrick Mahomes. Here’s what Smith had to say: 

'What the hell were they thinking?' That's what was going through my mind. Listen, I knew when they drafted him (Patrick Mahomes) that time was running.
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Smith went on to add that since he had 13 seasons in the NFL under his belt, the team was looking to start fresh under a new quarterback. However, the timing was shocking because the Chiefs were still at the top of the AFC West as in 2017; they had 10 wins and 6 losses. Andy Reid and Alex Smith were doing good until Patrick Mahomes came along.

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Smith went on to add:

 I ended up having a great season, obviously couldn't get it done in the playoffs, which was the story of my time in Kansas City, a lot of great regular season wins but could not quite get it done in the playoffs.

The quarterback was convinced Patrick Mahomes would be taking over his job when he began to see the passes he threw to his teammates at practice.

Patrick Mahomes and Alex Smith.
Patrick Mahomes and Alex Smith. (Via AP)

Alex Smith further said:

You started to see, all of a sudden, he's making these no-look passes, he's running the scout team...he's throwing 20-yard dig-routes across the middle, no-looking guys. To me it is the work ethic, that's the thing no one talks about...great work ethic, great character, and incredibly talented. When you looked at it like that, it was only a matter of time.

Mahomes’s throwing abilities have been his highlight since his time at Texas Tech.

The Chiefs were struggling to get over the playoff bump every season with Alex Smith, which is why the team decided to take a shot on Patrick Mahomes. That decision became the best one for the entire franchise as Mahomes has now led the team to three Super Bowls, winning two of them.

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