KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JANUARY 12: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs and Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans shake hands following the AFC Divisional playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 12, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
The NBC broadcast showed a photo of Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson before they became the NFL’s best quarterbacks.
When making the 2020 NFL schedule, the league rewarded us in a grand way. The Kansas City Chiefs would kick off their Super Bowl defense by facing the Houston Texans That means NFL fans got to see this generation’s great quarterback battle between Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson.
During Thursday’s opening contest, the NBC broadcast showed a side-by-side photo of Mahomes and Watson as children, before they became the league’s highest-paid superstars. Go ahead and try not to smile! Well, probably the entire Chicago Bears fanbase are the only people not smiling.
Before they became the NFL’s biggest stars
These two athletes will be attached to the hip throughout their careers. Both were part of the 2017 NFL Draft class, where Mahomes was the intriguing prospect with high potential, whereas Watson was the proven winner at the collegiate level, as evidenced by his 2017 National Championship with Clemson. However, both weren’t the first quarterback taken off the board, as the Bears opted to take Mitchell Trubisky instead. That’s a decision the Bears will be kicking themselves over for a long time.
Watson started instantly, and proved to be an Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite, before going down with a torn ACL mid-season. As for Mahomes, he sat on the bench in 2017, while Alex Smith started for the Chiefs. But the last two seasons is where both quarterbacks truly shined. Watson led the Texans to consecutive AFC South titles, but whereas Mahomes won the NFL MVP award in 2018 and won the Super Bowl last season.
This offseason, both quarterbacks were handsomely paid. Mahomes was handed a record-breaking $500 million contract extension back in July, while Watson earned a $160 million deal last week.
While Mahomes has got the better of Watson on Thursday, we’re excited to see these two face off for many years to come.