Second Thoughts

Chief on QB's mind wasn't piling up cash

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes turned down endorsement opportunities during his rookie season a year ago, instead focusing on building respect among veterans in the locker room while he was the backup to Alex Smith.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes turned down endorsement opportunities during his rookie season a year ago, instead focusing on building respect among veterans in the locker room while he was the backup to Alex Smith.

It says a lot about Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes that he listens to much more than money talking

Mahomes turned down easy endorsement money last season, and he did it with the blessing of his agent.

The decision wasn't made because of a lack of confidence in the products or services. It was because the rookie backup didn't want the publicity.

Mahomes and his agent, Leigh Steinberg, talked to ESPN about how he declined local endorsements last year in deference to veteran starter Alex Smith. Steinberg said Mahomes got some of the offers that come with being a first-round draft choice, but he chose to focus instead on finding his place in the locker room while Smith was still the starter.

"We talked about how the first year the goal was to integrate into the team, and the only way to do that is to pay deference to the incumbent veterans and try not to go into the situation with a high profile," Steinberg said. "We intentionally didn't do endorsements that would run in the Kansas City area even though they were offered. We didn't want him to be on billboards and everything when he wasn't even playing."

Mahomes is set to play this season. The Chiefs traded Smith to the Washington Redskins in the offseason, putting the second-year quarterback with one NFL start in the spotlight as the leader of a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

The Chiefs traded up in the 2017 draft to grab Mahomes with the 10th pick. When they had their playoff spot secured at the end of the season, Coach Andy Reid gave Mahomes the Week 17 start in a meaningless game against the Denver Broncos. Mahomes was solid, leading the Chiefs to a 27-24 victory while throwing for 284 yards and an interception.

Now that the team is his, Mahomes told ESPN he's getting his face out more in Kansas City by going to Royals games and other public events in town.

"The fans come out every single week and show passion and love for us and our team and what we're doing here," Mahomes said. "I want to be back in the community giving back and just being a part of it so I can show the same passion and love to them."

The decision to lay low as a rookie seems a prudent one, even if it meant short-term financial sacrifice. Mahomes has all the makings of someone worth investing in.

Max effort

On Saturday afternoon, Max Scherzer was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for the second consecutive month. A few hours later, he led the Washington Nationals to another dramatic victory.

Just another day at the office for the three-time Cy Young award winner, right?

Not quite.

Scherzer's contributions this time around didn't come on the pitcher's mound. Instead, he was called on as a pinch hitter in the 14th inning with Washington locked in a marathon with the Atlanta Braves.

The longtime ace started the one-out rally with a single. Two batters later, he raced home from first with what proved to be the game-winning run in the Nationals 5-3 victory on Wilfer Difo's RBI triple.

Scherzer has been good at getting the ball in play. He's struck out only four times in 29 plate appearances this season while hitting .310. But let's hold off on any talk about Scherzer becoming the National League's Shohei Ohtani.

SPORTS QUIZ

How many times has Max Scherzer struck out at least 200 batters in a season?

ANSWER

Six times, or every season since 2012

Sports on 06/04/2018

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