Patrick Mahomes is already one of the most decorated players in NFL history, with three Super Bowl titles, two league MVPs, and more than 32,000 passing yards under his name. At just 29 years old, he’s well on his way to becoming an all-time great. But his rise to stardom nearly never happened.

According to his mother, Randi Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback briefly considered giving up football during his high school days. Speaking on Friday night, she revealed that Mahomes went through a tough stretch where he thought about walking away from the game entirely.

Patrick Mahomes Turning Point In High School

“There were times when he would get a little down, even a moment in high school when he wanted to quit football,” Randi Mahomes said. “Yes, he did. And I encouraged him that sitting out a season of sports and watching the games, it was not going to be fun for him. And so, he stuck to it, fortunately.”

That moment of doubt is now just a footnote in the story of one of the most dominant players in the NFL. Mahomes, the 10th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, has already cemented his place among the league’s elite. And if he hung up his cleats today, his résumé would still earn him a spot in Canton.

But Mahomes isn’t ready to stop any time soon. Following the Chiefs’ loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, the star quarterback made it clear that he’s using the defeat as fuel for the upcoming season.

“That’s the beauty of football is that you never can be satisfied with just coming out there and playing and thinking you’re going to have success year in and year out,” Mahomes told ESPN. “These defenses are going to continue to get better and better, and so I have to get better.”

Mahomes has reportedly added muscle this offseason as he prepares to take the next step in his evolution. Considering his accomplishments, the rest of the league finds that thought terrifying.