NEW ORLEANS — Patrick Mahomes has now been in the NFL for eight full seasons, which may make you feel a bit (hashtag) #old if you think about it too much. It seems like just yesterday that Mahomes was the Next Big Thing, as opposed to his current status as one of the greatest of all time at his position.
And with those years of experience come the next wave of NFL quarterbacks, who started watching Mahomes do his thing with the Kanas City Chiefs when they were in high school, and though their times in the NCAA.
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year, and New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who put some impressive plays together in his own inaugural campaign for a rebuilding team, are two of those younger players, and two of the NFL's Next Big Things.
On Saturday, while appearing at a USAA Salute to Service Lounge event in which they each gave Super Bowl tickets to veterans who are fans of their teams, both Daniels and Maye told me how Mahomes influenced them and helped them to shape their playing personalities.
"No doubt," Maye told me when I asked him if Mahomes had been a pillar along the way. "The way Patrick's been playing, it's been fun to watch.
"And the way that he carries himself, He's never in the media in a bad way. The way he handles himself off the field, the way he's got a family now. I think this kind of speaks for himself.
"His play also speaks for itself. The big thing with Pat is he's so creative. I think this game's getting to where you've got to make plays, and you've got to do the right thing.
"But the thing with Pat and what him and [Head] Coach [Andy] Reid do is, he plays within the system so well. He knows the system so well. He's been in the system.
"I'm just trying to get to that level. It takes a long time to get to where Pat's at with their offense and what him and Coach Reid have been doing. It's fun to watch him on Sundays, and it's pretty sweet."
I asked Maye about the balance between staying in the system when the play is there, and getting creative out of necessity when things break down — a balance that Mahomes has obviously navigated quite expertly.
"Yeah, I think you've got to play within the system," he said. "You've got to play what the offensive coordinator wants you to do, or the quarterback coach, what they're asking you to do.
"And I think when things aren't there, that's when you go make plays. That's what makes Mahomes so good. And I think [it's about] not trying to hunt those plays up. I think those plays come naturally."
Daniels was similarly enthralled with Mahomes' professional development from the time that Daniels could only dream about an NFL future.
"I just think he's out of the ordinary, outside the box, the arm talent that he has, all the arm angles and throws he can make, he trusts his arm," Daniels said. "I think that's the main thing. He's out there playing football, playing freely, but he trusts his abilities.
As to that balance between structure and off-script stuff when it's necessary, Daniels had his own thoughts.
"I think there's a time and place for everything," he said. "You obviously want to stay in structure, stay in rhythm, and keep the rhythm of the offense going. That's the main thing as a quarterback. But when it's time to make a play, and the play is presented, you go out there and make it."
Both young players can imagine what it might be like to make the Super Bowl a habit as Mahomes now has, and the correct tie between structure and chaos is a very good place to start.
