More than half a dozen GMs were fired after skipping out on Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 NFL draft
Patrick Mahomes has been a generational talent for the Chiefs, but other franchises have been left in turmoil and change after moving on to QB.
On the field, there’s no denying that Kansas City Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the reaper. His run of success both individually and with the team since taking over has been incredible, as have the plays he routinely makes on Sundays. It has to be a real nightmare for any defensive coordinator.
It’s also been a nightmare for the nine NFL teams that passed on the Texas Tech product in the 2017 NFL Draft.
As Packers writer Wendell Ferreira noted on Twitter, of the nine franchises that decided not to take Mahomes in 2017 before the Chiefs traded up from No. 27 to No. 10 to take him off the board, only the San Francisco 49ers — who, by the way, drafted one of the biggest busts in the class in DE Solomon Thomas at No. 3 — haven’t fired their head coach or general manager since.
Nine teams passed on Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 draft. The #49ers are the only one that haven't fired neither the HC nor the GM.
— Wendell Ferreira (@wendellfp) December 27, 2022
Patrick Mahomes transfer prompted all but one team to fire GM or head coach
In the time since Mahomes was drafted by Kansas City, the Browns, Bears, Jaguars, Titans, Jets and Panthers have fired their GMs. Meanwhile, the Browns, Bears, Jaguars, Titans, Jets, Chargers, Panthers and Bengals have fired at least one head coach.
Even worse for Cleveland, a franchise that has fired two general managers and two coaches, the most of any of the nine teams, though you’d have to argue they’re still happy with the investment in No. 1 pick Myles Garrett. The Bears (two coaches), Jags (two coaches), Jets (two coaches) and Panthers (coaches) have also made multiple firings at the same position since moving on to Mahomes.
For some of the franchises, the reason to trade Mahomes was at least somewhat acceptable. But perhaps the worst look was for Chicago, which not only took Mitchell Trubisky over Mahomes, but traded up to the second No. 3 pick to do so after biting through a smokescreen from the 49ers.
Alas, hindsight is always 20/20, and fans are no doubt still regretting that their favorite team didn’t draft Patrick Mahomes. But perhaps no one regrets it more than the nine GMs who made that decision.