Patrick Mahomes on Alex Smith’s return: ‘Amazing’

Alex Smith is an inspiration to us all, including his successor in Kansas City, Patrick Mahomes.

Patrick Mahomes is in awe of what Alex Smith has been able to do since the former Chiefs quarterback suffered a gruesome leg injury in a game against the Texans in November 2018. He’s since been cleared to return to action for the Washington Football Team.

Smith was the Chiefs quarterback when the organization traded up to take Mahomes with the tenth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, a move that will go down in Chiefs history. After Mahomes was drafted, the Texas Tech product strolled the sidelines his rookie year while Smith continued to run the offense.

Patrick Mahomes and Alex Smith have a special bond

All the while, Smith was mentoring Mahomes and getting him ready to be his successor, something a lot of other quarterbacks probably wouldn’t do.

"“It’s an amazing thing,” Mahomes said. “I talked to Alex – I texted Alex before the season got going, before training camp got going, him just being there and him just being able to get cleared by his doctors and now getting cleared by the Washington doctors and being able to go out there and be able to perform. It just shows the grit that he has, and I mean, he’s someone that has helped me out a ton in my career and he’s always persevered and I just expect him to keep persevering as his career goes on.”"

It was a move like that that showed what kind of man and teammate Smith really is. Chiefs fans often were frustrated by his lack of throwing the ball down the field, but they were most appreciative of him when he was traded to Washington following the 2017 season.

Mahomes then became the MVP of the entire league, making mind-blowing throw after mind-blowing throw. His second year as the Chiefs starter saw him lead his team to the Super Bowl and win the game’s MVP title.

When Smith went down with an injury, it was devastating. As the E:60 documentary showed, Smith and his family feared not only for his leg but for his life after the injury, so to see what Smith has been able to accomplish 21 months later is astounding. It speaks to how tough he truly is.

These two might not be in the same quarterback room anymore, but Mahomes knows he has a lot to thank Smith for.

Chiefs fans should be gracious that Smith was willing to do what he did. Mahomes might end up being the same kind of player without Smith’s tutelage, who knows if that’s the case, but right now, it’s definitely a safe assumption that he helped prepare Mahomes for the next level of quarterback play.

As for Smith’s return to the football field, we’re all amazed by what he’s been willing to do and wish him the best of luck for the 2020 season and beyond.