This week, Chiefs Wire's Ed Easton Jr. spoke with retired Carolina Panthers Pro Bowl quarterback and color analyst Jake Delhomme.
In his interview with Easton Jr., Delhomme, courtesy of Gambling.com, discussed his career and thoughts on today's NFL players. He shared a personal story regarding Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
"We see all the throws and the arm talent. But the one thing that stood out to me, yes, the leadership, but the availability. He's (Patrick Mahomes) available. Yes, he tore his ACL last year, but before that, he played. He showed up. He battled through injuries, including the high ankle sprains and many more, but he was always available," said Delhomme. "I wish we had a pulse rate where we could see guys' heartbeats
and see if they race, the way we have all these stats now, like top speed and spin rate. Because I'm telling you, the bigger the situation, the more the heart rate just goes down. He's so smooth. He's so even-keeled."
Mahomes has started every game so far this season, showing little effect from last year's devastating knee injury.
"For me, it goes back to when he was in college. I watched him play (against) the LSU Tigers." Delhomme said, "I think he was a sophomore at Texas Tech, in a bowl game. Athletically, Texas Tech didn't belong on the field with LSU, with the athletes LSU had. I watched him single-handedly make play after play, and I thought, I've got to watch this guy. This is different. This is special."
Delhomme referenced a friend who gave h early intel on Mahomes during his rookie season in 2017, backing up then-Chiefs starter Alex Smith.
"I had a friend who was with Kansas City for years and around Patrick, very close. He's now with the Chicago Bears," said Delhomme. "He told me about Patrick's rookie year, around Thanksgiving time. He said, Jake, Alex is unbelievable, talking about Alex Smith. He's the best mentor, and Patrick adores him. But he said, "We're sitting on a gold mine with this kid. This Mahomes kid is just different. He gets it. He sees the big picture. That always resonated with me because I believed the guy who told me. He had been around a while, and he knew it."
Delhomme is a fan of Mahomes' clutch play and late-game comebacks from behind. The two-time league MVP ranks second in NFL history with 6 career fourth-quarter playoff comebacks.
"It's been fun to watch. You never feel like he's out of the game. As long as you have Mahomes, you have every chance to win," said Delhomme. "I love when he puts his hand up as he's starting to roll. He's a special player. I've called him a unicorn for many years because I thought he was different from anything we had seen."
Delhomme's 11-year NFL career had plenty of challenges and obstacles, including a stint in NFL Europe.
"One of the big things is that I started four years in college and had some success, and then went undrafted. It's a blow to the ego. You think, obviously, the scouts don't think I'm good enough, so you have to stick with it. I had a huge support system, which helped," said Delhomme. "Then I got to the Saints, where I spent my first six years. In New Orleans, I thought, I'm just as talented as those guys. I think I'm a little bigger and stronger, with a stronger arm. It was just about an opportunity. I got sent to NFL Europe a couple of times, and one of those times I didn't play because I was backing up somebody."
Delhomme notably led the Panthers as their starting quarterback from 2003 to 2009, earning a 2025 Pro Bowl selection and a trip to Super Bowl XXXVIII.
"I thought this quarterback was pretty good, and it just so happened to be Kurt Warner. I watched Kurt go on to have success with the Rams, and I thought, okay, he did it from NFL Europe. Brad Johnson did the same thing and won the Super Bowl with Tampa." Delhomme said, "You watch Kurt and think, 'Why can't I be the next guy? It gives you the confidence to keep going. I got very lucky that the tide really started to turn for me in 2000, when Mike McCarthy was named offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints."
"Mike McCarthy, head coach of the Steelers, is still winning, which is a shock—old-school football. Great football coach. We had something called quarterback school, and they can't really do that anymore because of the time limits on young players in the NFL," said Delhomme. "But you just break football down to the studs. That was eye-opening for me and a huge part of my development as a player. It gave me the confidence to move forward. I had three years with Mike, and then I moved on to Carolina and was really ready to go by the time I got there. You just have to stick with it, have people believing in you, and have good coaching."
Courtesy of Gambling.com.
This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Jake Delhomme shares a personal story regarding Patrick Mahomes
