Kyle Shanahan Admits Dropping The Ball on Patrick Mahomes

Had things gone differently, Patrick Mahomes could be lining up for the 49ers instead of the Chiefs on Sunday. That’s if San Francisco’s head coach, Kyle Shanahan had drafted him when he had the chance in 2017. 

Even back then it was clear that Patrick Mahomes was a huge talent. However, Kyle Shanahan decided to pursue then-free-agent Kirk Cousins, who was a known quantity to him.

Cousins’ ultimately ended up in Minnesota and the 49ers traded for Jimmy Garoppolo from the Patriots. Now, Patrick Mahomes is the reigning NFL MVP and stands between San Francisco and the Super Bowl.

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“I didn’t look into him obviously as much as I should have,” Shanahan said Tuesday. 

“We definitely looked into him, studied all of his tape. Was just a freak, could make any throw, had the ability to anything. That was a little bit different situation for us. We had the second pick in the draft, did not feel like from all the intel that you get and stuff that he was gonna go that high.”

Read: Chiefs May Wait a Year to Give Patrick Mahomes a Contract Extension

“It was a little different situation for us just ’cause I think it’s pretty well documented of just the relationship I had with Kirk being in Washington and I felt very confident that he wasn’t gonna stay there,” Shanahan recalled. 

“So anytime you go into a season knowing that a franchise quarterback was going to be available the next year, it made me a lot more picky with what we were looking at.”

Mahomes was drafted by Kansas City with the 10th pick, and if the Chiefs win on Sunday, he will be the second youngest starting quarterback in history to become a champion. The rest could be history.