The script for Patrick Mahomes has been picture perfect for the Kansas City Chiefs

The latest anecdotes to come out about Patrick Mahomes shows that he’s still sticking to a perfect script as the face of the franchise.

Patrick Mahomes has yet to play a single snap in a professional football game that truly means anything for the Kansas City Chiefs’ success and the team already owes him a debt of gratitude.

Over the last few days, a news story was picked up by every major sports media outlet sharing the same anecdote that Mahomes refused to take any endorsement money during his rookie season. His agent, Leigh Steinberg, spoke to ESPN about the decision, using key words like “integrate” and “deference” when describing Mahomes’ goals for team unity. A key quote from Steinberg:

"“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.”"

The cautious approach on Mahomes’s part was to avoid tension in a situation that could have blown up in the Chiefs face if anyone involved wasn’t willing to play their part. Consider the following:

If Alex Smith had not been the consummate team player and unflappable leader, the plan falls apart.
If Andy Reid hadn’t been a very experienced coach who has handled myriad player issues and concerns, the plan falls apart.
If K.C. had perhaps been a larger market team with media members reaching for more sensational headlines, the plan falls apart.
If the Chiefs had a meddlesome owner who insisted on catering to fan response and accelerating the process, the plan falls apart.

And then, of course, there’s Mahomes. If he doesn’t play along, following a script neatly written out for him, covering over a calendar year from when he was first selected by the team, the whole thing never works out.

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Even now, months after Alex Smith was traded away to the Washington Redskins, Mahomes is still sticking to the script, playing the part of the perfect team leader, the ideal face of the franchise, a model citizen gobbling up credibility, respect, trust and praise like Pacman after consuming a power pellet.

What makes Mahomes so endearing (and important) to the Chiefs is that even when he’s no longer beholden to the script, even when making waves wouldn’t be such a big deal, Mahomes is still so careful, so considerate, so damn affable. Beyond the obvious physical gifts and on-field hopes, Mahomes is giving Chiefs Kingdom every reason under the sun to love him even in his most casual encounters.

The anti-endorsement story was just one anecdote to surface illustrating what we’ve already seen. Albert Breer noted in a column on Monday that Mahomes would also ask only back-up wide receivers to practice with him for extra reps, afraid to ask a starter to help him in case that would be taken as stepping on Smith’s turf.

If it seems as if we’re just describing an “aw shucks” persona, Mahomes is anything but. He’s got confidence and moxie aplenty, but he knows when to use it and when it to put it away. It’s the way he frequents and praises local BBQ joints. It’s in the T-Bones cutoff and Speedway appearance. It’s throwing out the first pitch at a Royals game.

Following Mahomes on Twitter shows a nice trend of supporting all local sports teams, ribbing his teammates, interacting with fans and even making fun of himself. He’s one of us even as we know he’s a supremely gifted millionaire. He’s approachable even as he’s one of 32 men who can call themselves starting quarterbacks in the NFL.

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Patrick Mahomes is still months away from making his first meaningful start for the Chiefs (the Week 17 win over the Denver Broncos didn’t affect the Chiefs playoff picture), yet Chiefs Kingdom should already be thankful for what we have at quarterback. Mahomes is a truly rare player and person, filled with personality that somehow knows when to defer to identities and ideas greater than the individual. It’s a role model for character, work ethic, leadership and integrity, and it looks like he’ll be sticking to that script for a very long time.

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