KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Blaine Gabbert has had a successful career in the NFL, heading into his 12th season in the NFL and has backed up quality NFL quarterbacks during his career, from Carson Palmer to Tom Brady.
Now with the Chiefs, he will have a new challenge: to backup the ever growing legendary quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The former Mizzou quarterback returned home to the state of Missouri, signing a one-year deal to serve as Mahomes's backup.
For Gabbert, he says the decision to join the Chiefs was a pretty easy decision after talking to former teammates Chad Henne and Daniel Kilgore, who both played for the Chiefs.
"I picked their brains, see what (Andy Reid) wanted out of a backup quarterback," Gabbert said, "Coach Reid has always been a guy I watched from afar. "
Gabbert said both players spoke highly of the organizations and ultimately, their certificate of approval was the thing that gave him confidence that he should come to Kansas City, especially Henne's.
"(Henne) has been (in Kansas City) for five years, he been around the block for quite a bit," Gabbert said, "He spoke highly of the organization and it was an easy sell by that point."
Gabbert, who backed up Tom Brady for three seasons, is excited to backup another legendary quarterback in Patrick Mahomes, seeing many similarites between the two already.
"They're both maniacal perfectionist," Gabbert explained, "I mean that in the most endearing way possible. To see the both of them operate, from the media room to the practice field, the way they approach the game is the exact same way."
Gabbert says Mahomes attention to detail is his best trait when seeing how Mahomes is a great quarterback.
"He's a master of the system," Gabbert said, "He's approaches the system like it's day one, still taking notes like he's a rookie. There's always something he wants to improve on."
