The reason why Mahomes wears number 15 in the NFL and what number he wore in college

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the most famous number 15 in the NFL. At 28-years-old, the Texas-born sensation has made a name for himself as one of the top names in the sport.

The Chiefs take on the Ravens in the the upcoming AFC Championship Game (Sunday January 28, 3:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. PT.) at Arrowhead Stadium and Mahomes will once again be looking to guide his side to glory. The quarterback has won two Super Bowls so he definitely knows what it takes to get to the top.

But why does Patrick Mahomes wear number 15? Well, let’s take a look...

What number did Mahomes wear in college?

The Kansas City Star reported back in 2017 that Mahomes “was leaning toward wearing No. 4 or No. 7. Kicker Cairo Santos, a Pro Bowl alternate in 2016, currently wears No. 5.”

“(No. 15) still has the five in it a little bit,” Mahomes commented. “But at the same time, I was actually 15 my freshman year of basketball. So I just went back to that and wanted to make my own number and do a new thing in this next chapter of my life.”

Mahomes wore the number 5 in college at Texas Tech; when the Chiefs released its previous owner, kicker Cairo Santos, rumours spread that the quarterback was set to drop to single digits. However, that move did not happen, and fans ho had already bought the jersey of their favourite player could rest easy.

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Why does Mahomes wear number 15 in the NFL?

We’re not the only ones to ask that question. When it was put to Mahomes, he replied simply “that’s the thing — I actually like 15 a lot,” he told the Star. “It’s kinda like, I got drafted 10th and I (wore) No. 5. And there’s not really any other quarterbacks that have 15.”

The NFL allows running backs, tight ends, wideouts and defensive backs to wear any number from 1-49 while quarterbacks can pick any number 1-19. However, players who want to change their numbers must buy out the inventory of the league’s manufacturing partners - at retail price. Seeing as Patrick Mahomes has one of the top-selling jerseys in the NFL, I don’t want to imagine how much it would cost him...

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