In between Brett Veach's frenzied entreaties to compel coach Andy Reid and then-general manager John Dorsey to draft Patrick Mahomes and Dorsey's engineering and execution of the draft-day trade that made it a reality, Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt got a subtle first glimpse of the turbo-charged future on the eve of the Super Bowl five years ago.
At agent Leigh Steinberg's annual pre-Super Bowl extravaganza, which includes invites for his prospects and clients and was staged that night at Hughes Manor in Houston, Hunt received a humanitarian award in recognition of his role with the Hunt Family Foundation.
For some reason ... Mahomes was the one who presented it to him.
Soooooo, Leigh, how did that come to be?
"I know nothing," Steinberg said in a phone interview with The Star on Tuesday. With a laugh, he added, "It was just coincidence."
Whatever the case, it would be just a footnote if not for the stealthy machinations that ultimately enabled the Chiefs to trade up (with Buffalo) from 27th to 10th and pluck Mahomes.
But the scene of Mahomes' first meeting with Hunt surely at least reflected the desire of Steinberg and Chris Cabott, the CEO of Steinberg Sports & Entertainment with whom Steinberg co-represents Mahomes, to further engage the Chiefs.
With good reason.
"A marriage made in heaven," Steinberg said.
Especially after all the mirages made, uh, elsewhere over the decades.
And it's a point that bears reminding amid lingering anguish from the AFC Championship Game collapse against Cincinnati, a wound that will feel to some like it's festering all the more when the Bengals meet the Rams in Super Bowl LVI on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
It's crushing, yes, for the Chiefs not to be in their third straight Super Bowl, particularly since we know the window of opportunity isn't infinite. But it's also true that this rates as what you could call a first-world problem in the context of franchise history.
Simply put, everything about the perception and capacity of the Chiefs has changed since the advent of Mahomes, who in his first full season became the franchise's first NFL most valuable player winner.
Even with the acrid aftertaste of that last loss still reeking, even knowing he has plenty of room to grow and improve, the Chiefs have been a carnival of thrills since his arrival. Putting aside even his physics-shattering deeds and feats of remarkable resilience, just consider the results.
Back-to-back Super Bowl appearances for the first time in franchise history; the first Super Bowl triumph in 50 years; playing in the NFL's final four for four straight years while becoming the first franchise ever to host four straight conference title games.
And this: If the Chiefs win the next playoff game he appears in, Mahomes will have been at the helm for nine of the 18 postseason wins in franchise history.
None of this is done alone, of course, none of it in a vacuum. But no one can assert his influence on a Chiefs game like he can. His game remains so jaw-dropping that it's still a revelation for many fans that a franchise forever mired between mediocrity and futility and longing for someone just like him ... has him.
It took numerous factors to fall right for this to happen, including Veach's astute fascination with Mahomes and the development of his relationship with Cabott and the mind-meld between Reid and Mahomes in their first meeting and the deft workings of the trade.
But it also was about the sense of trust among Steinberg, Cabott and the Chiefs overall, including Hunt, whom Steinberg had known for decades back to when Hunt was a ballboy for the team. It also helped that Steinberg enjoyed a strong relationship with Reid and had vivid memories of how previous clients such as Tony Gonzalez and Derrick Thomas loved playing in Kansas City for what he calls a "fervent and loyal" fan base.
And that Alex Smith was willing to mentor his replacement.
"The perfect, scalable city; a stable ownership with vision; a front office very adept with player evaluation and handling the cap and roster evaluation; a coach with a plan who is also a quarterback whisperer," Steinberg said amid preparations for his 35th Super Bowl party. "So there couldn't have been a more ideal location."
If Steinberg didn't fully know the extent of that by the time Mahomes was meeting Hunt that night five years ago, he did by the time Reid and others met with Mahomes for eight hours in Kansas City in the weeks leading up to the 2017 draft.
Here's how he put it a few years ago for a piece I did on "When Andy Met Patrick":
"They had to be temperamentally suited ... That consanguinity of interests, that meeting of the minds, that portent of the future, and what those meetings would be like between the two of them (going forward), there had to be a click that went off in Andy's mind: 'This is our guy.' ..."
"I think if there was an extensive series of boxes to check off, one by one they got checked off," he continued, adding that from there, "All the stars aligned perfectly."
Even if some clouds inevitably obscure those stars, that's no different today.
When I asked Steinberg how he's seen Mahomes grow, he first wanted to note they have an agreement that Patrick can speak for himself. Then he said this:
"He was prenaturally mature when he started. He had the basic qualities of leadership. Patrick would ask someone how they're doing before worrying about himself. And he had the eidetic memory and the intelligence. But what's been incredible is how grounded he's stayed through everything.
"That he's still the same person with the same values, that he cares passionately about being a role model, and he's really dedicated himself to being part of that community. "
He also remains dazzled by Mahomes' offseason work ethic, calling him "basically a workaholic," and admires his further maturation as a father and "a good partner in a relationship" — aspects of his life he called "heartwarming."
As for on the field, he thought first about the Buffalo game and, of course, the final 13 seconds.
"He's got the ability to compartmentalize and adopt a quiet mind and elevate his play, hyper-focus in those critical moments, without undue stress to take a team onto victory," he said. "It's a quality of, amidst chaos, clarity. Amidst unbelievable pressure, calm."
As for the Bengals game, in which Mahomes grappled most of the way after halftime? Steinberg said the result was painful but that he admired that Mahomes took responsibility ... as he indeed did.
Nonetheless, he added, Tom Brady just retired after 22 years.
"That leaves Patrick with 17," he said, with a laugh and adding, "It's just a very happy story."
Even with some ups and downs. And a story that, luckily for Chiefs fans, is still unfolding.
This story was originally published February 10, 2022 5:00 AM.
