What if Patrick Mahomes followed his father’s footsteps and chose baseball over football? After all, the Kansas City Chiefs’ star quarterback was a promising college baseball player, but ultimately chose football. He was a three-sport athlete, but with his father having played in the MLB, baseball was in his blood. While Mahomes had a good pitching arm and showed a lot of early growth, a former MLB star has shared his honest assessment of his ability as a baseball player.
“I mean, I saw him (Mahomes) there. I’ve never technically played with him, per se. I’ve talked to him on the range, about him and his career,” said Derek Lowe. “I obviously mentioned his dad, who had an historic career, but let’s be honest, I think Patrick picked the right sport. Let’s be honest.”
Lowe’s comment about Mahomes having picked the right sport cannot be argued, as he has played in five Super Bowls and won three of them. However, a few years back, MLB did look like a real possibility.
His father, Pat Mahomes, played in the MLB from 1992 to 2003 and even went up against Lowe. The QB is also the godson of former MLB pitcher LaTroy Hawkins. So, he already had the blueprint. During the 2014 MLB Draft, the Detroit Tigers selected him in the 37th round. But Mahomes did not sign and opted for a dual-sport scholarship at Texas Tech to play baseball and football.
While he has now become one of the best players in modern NFL, Mahomes has even confirmed that he wanted to play in the MLB growing up.
“I wanted to be a baseball player, 1000 percent,” Mahomes said to Jeter on FOX NFL Sunday in 2023. “Growing up in clubhouses, I got to meet you when I was really young. I wanted to be a shortstop. It wasn’t until high school that I remember going out there on those Friday Night Lights in Texas, I fell in love with being the quarterback.”
Following his freshman year, he fully shifted his focus to football. He played only one baseball game as a freshman in college, and that did not go well.
“I came into the game, I walked the first guy, I believe,” Mahomes said, via CNN. “I hit the second guy, gave him a double, and they scored a run, and then I got taken out of the game. I think I have an infinity ERA, which isn’t probably a good one. That’s not something I’m not very proud to have on my record.”
Mahomes confirmed this was not the reason he left the sport. He decided to focus on football after his Texas Tech football coach told him that playing both sports was wearing him, and if he picked football, Mahomes could be a first-round pick.
That’s exactly what happened. In 2017, the Chiefs drafted him in the first round, and the rest is history. The three-time Super Bowl MVP transformed into one of the best quarterbacks of recent times.
Last year, during a press conference, he said that he “made the right choice picking football,” effectively confirming Lowe’s view. He is all set to enter his 10th season as an NFL player. However, there is a possibility that the fans may have to wait longer to see him due to his recovery.
Patrick Mahomes likely to miss the season opener against the Denver Broncos, according to a specialist
Patrick Mahomes has been steadily recovering from his ACL and LCL injuries. He suffered the injury against the Los Angeles Chargers in December and immediately underwent surgery. Despite him slowly ticking the recovery boxes, with videos of him dropping back and throwing, the NFL doctor believes that he still may not be 100% fit for the season opener.
“There is no way for him to be 100-percent healthy for the start of next season,” “Pro Football Doc” Dr. David Chao says. “No one is doubting him. But the fact is, when you tear the LCL and ACL, have the LCL repaired and the ACL reconstructed, this is a much higher bar than a simple ACL reconstruction.”
Patrick Mahomes Week 1 Update
Here are the 3 key points:
1️⃣ There is **no way** Mahomes will be 100% healthy by Week 1
2️⃣ He **will** be able to throw from the pocket, but not be the mobile Mahomes we’ve known
3️⃣ The Chiefs still don’t know if he’s starting Week 1 (it’s only… pic.twitter.com/EgELmQlHjw— David J. Chao – ProFootballDoc (@ProFootballDoc) May 16, 2026
Unlike the last few months, the quarterback is moving freely and was even seen playing golf. But football and golf have different types of body movements. Moreover, Mahomes is yet to have his first full practice session. The Chiefs need to be careful with him since playing him prematurely may increase the damage.
Quarterback Robert Griffin III also mentioned Mahomes should take the entire 2026 season off to get his knee right. Griffin himself has been through a lot of knee issues. So, he is one of the best people to know when the Chiefs quarterback’s tentative return date should be. But Dr. David Chao spoke in the same tone.
“Can he play from the pocket? Sure,” said Dr. David Chao. “But it might be 2027 before Patrick Mahomes is fully mobile like he was before.”
Regardless, Mahomes is targeting Week 1 to return to the field. It remains to be seen whether he defies all odds and return against the Denver Broncos‘ tight defense or if the fans have to wait longer to see him in action.
