Patrick Mahomes is Kansas City-bound after the Chiefs engineered a trade with the Bills to take him at No. 10 overall, which means he'll likely spend the coming season learning from Alex Smith. But it turns out Mahomes was oh so close to being bound for northern New Jersey to spend the coming season learning from Eli Manning.

ESPN's Anita Marks reported Friday that the Giants tried to trade up for Mahomes, but ultimately failed in that endeavor. Now, the Giants are "very upset."

That would've been some trade. The Chiefs gave the Bills two first-round picks and a third-rounder to go from No. 27 to the 10th pick. So, the Giants likely would've been forced to part ways with something similar to that. In the end, the Giants stayed at No. 23 and picked tight end Evan Engram.

Tight end is a position of need for the Giants, but it's fascinating to wonder what would've happened if they had secured Mahomes. At 36, Manning is officially old by NFL quarterback standards, so it makes sense that the Giants were interested in acquiring their quarterback of the future, especially considering Mahomes likely needs a year or two to transition to the NFL. So no, Manning wouldn't have been supplanted this season, but it would've made for an interesting discussion next offseason. Instead, the Giants have Josh Johnson and Geno Smith as their backup quarterbacks.

Mahomes should be happy he went to Kansas City, because it'll be easier for him to beat out Smith. Smith's contract expires after the 2018 season, but he could still be cut after the coming season with his dead money at just $3.6 million, according to Spotrac.