The 'Inside Scoop' On How Matt Nagy's Smart Backdoor Move Helped Patrick Mahomes Land With Chiefs
The man largely responsible for the Kansas City Chiefs solidifying their love for quarterback Patrick Mahomes before the 2017 NFL Draft? Matt Nagy.
It's well chronicled the Chiefs loved Mahomes coming out of Texas Tech prior to the '17 draft. General manager Brett Veach had shown coach Andy Reid the Red Raiders tape of Mahomes and the quarterback's potential glowed in neon.
But it wasn't until Mahomes was at the Chiefs' facility on a Top 30 visit that the bond between player and organization was sealed. And it was in, no small part, thanks to Nagy.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and senior offensive assistant/quarterbacks coach Matt Nagy. (Getty Images)
Nagy Move Lands Mahomes
"That was the first time I really met them," Mahomes said on the fun New Heights podcast hosted by teammate Travis Kelce and his brother Jason Kelce. "At that time there was no time limit so I was in there for like 5 hours. going through plays. And I'm going to give you the inside scoop: Matt Nagy, who is our quarterback coach now, was the offensive coordinator then, he really liked me. So he gave me the plays we were going to go over the night before."
Yes, visits with players typically include tape sessions on what the team runs and how the prospect understands those plays. If a quarterback shows he understands the plays and what to do, he's golden.
"Of course, I crushed the meeting," Mahomes said. "I stayed up all night studying those plays."
So, Matt Nagy!
The irony here is Nagy was eventually hired to be the Chicago Bears head coach. And after making sure he had Mahomes in K.C., he was rewarded with coaching Mitch Trubisky in Chicago -- the QB selected nine spots ahead of Mahomes in the '17 draft.
No wonder Nagy is back in Kansas City now.
Patrick Mahomes made sure he ended up with the Kansas City Chiefs. (Getty Images)
Mahomes Made Certain He Played For Chiefs
Mahomes was so comfortable with his visit, he decided he wanted to get drafted by the Chiefs. And he did whatever he could to make that happen.
"As the process went on, I got a feeling I was going up in the draft," Mahomes said. "I had a couple of teams that have been out there now that said they were going to draft me. And that's true. It's not like these coaches are making that up. I talked to them during the draft process and they they were like, 'Hey if you're there, we're going to take you.' "
Indeed, the Saints were picking No. 11 and would have taken Mahomes had the Chiefs not traded up with Buffalo to No. 10.
"I kind of gave a little inside info to the Chiefs," Mahomes said. "I was like, 'Hey, if y'all let me go anywhere below ...' At the time I didn't know about the Saints but I was, 'If y'all let me go 12 or below I'm going to get drafted by someone else.' So I gave the Chiefs a little bit of info on that because I wanted to be here."