Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Jaxson Dart and the Giant similarities
From left: Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes, Jaxson Dart. Credit: AP
Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes’ first meeting was on Sunday Night Football in 2018. At the time, it was an established veteran against the young upstart.
Wilson’s Seahawks won, 38-31, over Kansas City. Both threw for three touchdowns and no interceptions. It was Mahomes’ first season as a starting quarterback and Wilson admired what he saw then.
“Just back and forth, back and forth during the game,” Wilson said this week. “I knew he was going to be great then. I think it's pretty cool to watch his success he's had and all the things he's done extremely well and his family and everything else.”
The two met again Sunday night in different circumstances as both the Giants and Kansas City were looking for their first win after 0-2 starts. Wilson, who was making his MetLife Stadium debut as a Giant, is trying to revive his career in his 14th season.
Mahomes, who turned 30 on Wednesday, is now the modern standard for quarterback success with two MVPs, three Super Bowl rings and five AFC championships.
In a way, Mahomes is a reference point for both Wilson and Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. If he represents the praise and potential mid-career struggles Wilson has faced, he also reminds with Dart how a team handled a first round quarterback’s debut season.
Both Wilson and Mahomes are two of the only three active quarterbacks that have started multiple Super Bowls. Like Wilson, Mahomes found success early, winning his first Super Bowl in his second full season as a starter.
“I think his consistency with head coach Andy Reid. He's one of the all-time greats,” said Wilson, who is 2-4 against Mahomes. “I think when you have that level of consistency, head coach to player, that means a lot, too. He's got great players around him. Obviously, Travis Kelce is an all-time great tight end. He's special in what he does . . . I think he's a clutch player. He's done some really big things in clutch moments.”
But as Wilson is struggling through the twilight of his career, Mahomes is facing his first serious hurdles. Through two games, he’s had to shoulder more responsibility in the running game with an offense that went from fun and explosive to more workmanlike and tied for 17th in total offense entering Sunday.
Yet as the Giants said, they still respect what Kansas City is capable of. Just as Wilson lit up the Cowboys for 450 yards a week after a middling debut, they know Mahomes can pick apart a defense with ease.
There’s also respect for how Kansas City groomed Mahomes early on as the Giants are now doing that with Dart. Despite being the 10th overall pick in the 2017 draft, Mahomes played just one game as a rookie — the regular-season finale as Kansas City rested Alex Smith for the playoffs.
Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka was a quality control coach on Reid’s staff that season. Kansas City had an established vet in Smith, so the focus was on bringing Mahomes slowly.
Kafka applied some of that wisdom with helping coach Brian Daboll’s plan to develop Dart, who played three snaps last week for his season debut and could have a similar red-zone package beyond.
“I think the biggest thing that I learned from that was just building a structure for really any young player, whether it's a quarterback or any position,” said Kafka, Kansas City’s quarterbacks coach from 2018-21. “It's just building a structure, how you prepare, and what does that timeline look like on a day-to-day basis?”
It also helped that Smith was good enough to oversee a 10-win season in 2017. The hope is Wilson can play well to make Dart’s transition more gradual. If not, Dart’s arrival could come sooner.
But Kafka said he learned how to adjust a development plan week-to-week to best help a quarterback stay ready. The main thing is being clear with Dart what’s expected every day and that’s something he learned dealing with Mahomes.
“You've got to go through those phases and just kind of figure out and learn what is best for you,” Kafka said. “I'd say that in my experience with a young quarterback, when Jaxson's going through that right now, I had it with Patrick and the young guys that we had there.”
Sunday night isn’t just about Mahomes vs. Wilson. It’s Mahomes as a guide for what Dart’s growth can be through a slow simmer instead of a quick rush into the fire.
Dart’s time will come but until then, it’s Wilson’s ride. Having been through highs and lows, he appreciates what Mahomes has learned since their first meeting in 2018 and how he’s growing through a rough patch now.
“He has fun while he's playing, and I think that's part of it,” Wilson said of Mahomes. “When you're at the mountaintop a lot of times and people are always looking at you, can you keep your smile, can you keep your joy, can you keep your passion, can you keep your love and fire for the game daily? I think he's done that well."
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
