Megan Briggs/Getty Images; Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images
- Alex Rodriguez says he once told a young Patrick Mahomes to choose baseball over football.
- The former Yankees player said he told Mahomes that “baseball is where the real money is.”
- Thankfully, Mahomes ignored that advice — and went on to become a three-time Super Bowl champion.
Alex Rodriguez said he once gave a young Patrick Mahomes some career advice that aged poorly.
During a Monday appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” Rodriguez spoke about his time with the Texas Rangers and how he got to know the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback as a kid.
“Patrick Mahomes Sr., who used to play for the Mets, but he also played in Texas, he was my teammate,” Rodriguez told host Jimmy Fallon. “Very lovable guy, everyone loved him, great arm.”
“He had a son, and the son was about 10 years old. And every day, he would be shagging and in the batting cage,” Rodriguez said, referring to Mahomes.
The baseball star recounted how a young Mahomes would come to him daily, asking for career advice. Back then, Mahomes was playing both baseball and football.
“The last day, I said, ‘I’m going to give you some good advice here. Now, listen up.’ And his eyes got really wide,” Rodriguez said. “I lowered my voice, and I said, ‘Alright, I know you like baseball, and I know you like football, but trust me when I say this — baseball is where the money is.'”
“I said, ‘Football’s just for fun, but you’re gonna make your money in baseball like your dad and I,” Rodriguez said. “And I’m glad he didn’t take my advice.”
Before Mahomes was a football star, he had a promising baseball career. He played in the 2010 Junior League World Series and was drafted by the Detroit Tigers as a teen, but turned down the offer.
Mahomes was selected 10th overall by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Since then, he has won three Super Bowls and been named the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player each time.
In 2020, Mahomes signed a 10-year extension worth $450 million with the Chiefs, per Sportrac.
In 2023, he restructured his deal to earn $210.6 million between 2023 and 2026, his agency, Equity Sports, confirmed on X.
Mahomes owns a stake in the MLB’s Kansas City Royals and, along with his wife, Brittany Mahomes, also has a stake in the National Women’s Soccer League team, the Kansas City Current.
Off the field, Mahomes and his Chiefs teammate, Travis Kelce, co-own 1587 Prime, a high-end Kansas City steakhouse that opened last month.
Representatives for Rodriguez and Mahomes did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.
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