Ahead of Utah's game against No. 7 Oregon on Saturday, former Utah star quarterback Alex Smith made an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
Smith was discussing his time with the Kansas City Chiefs where he was 50-26 as the starter, and led them to four playoff appearances in his five years. However, even with his success, the Chiefs opted to draft his replacement in the 2017 NFL Draft with the No. 10 overall pick.
A little-known quarterback who was an air raid product at Texas Tech, named Patrick Mahomes. The youngster eventually went on to replace Smith, who would be traded to the Washington Commanders, but Smith was as shocked as anyone by the decision to draft Mahomes.
“What the hell were they thinking? That’s what was going on in my mind, like what the hell,” said Smith. “I knew when they drafted him, that time was running and at that point anyway, I was in my 13th year, and you’re not guaranteed anything. Like if I didn’t play good football, they were gonna find somebody that could.”
However, Smith and his teammates realized immediately how good Mahomes could be, as he shared a story about Eric Berry calling him over to see throws that Mahomes was making.
“And I’ll never forget Eric Berry coming up to me. He’s like, ‘Hey, man, you gotta come see this, this throw he made.’ And literally he’s throwing 20-yard dig routes across the middle no-looking guys. Just rare, rare talent. … It was only a matter of time.”
Smith walked away from football in 2020, which as we all know was impressive he was able to ever play again after the horrific leg injury he suffered in 2018. As for Mahomes, he is the best quarterback in the NFL and has led the Chiefs to two Super Bowl championships, while being an All-Pro selection three times, and a two-time MVP.
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