Latest news with #Mahomes
USA Today
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Patrick Mahomes hopes Trey Hendrickson gets paid... but maybe by another team
Cincinnati Bengals superstar defensive end Trey Hendrickson is still waiting on his new contract, and he's got one fellow NFL superstar hoping he gets paid soon. FTW spoke to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in June as part of his new partnership with T-Mobile for its Friday Night 5G Lights initiative, and he mentioned Hendrickson as his pick for an underrated player he loved getting to play against in the NFL. He also mentioned Hendrickson's contract negotiations with Cincinnati and shared he's pulling for him to get his next big career windfall. "I would say he was underrated at the time; he's not anymore," Mahomes shared, "Trey Hendrickson and going up against him over my time, with the Bengals. I think no one really talked about him until these last year and a half, and obviously [there's] the contract stuff he has going now, but that dude is just a straight beast. "I remember playing him when he was in New Orleans with the Saints, and then playing against him now in Cincinnati. I mean, he is as good as advertised. He gets some hype I think now, but I don't think people really, truly understand the impact he has on the football game." Hendrickson's future in Cincinnati is still uncertain, but it sure sounds like Mahomes hopes he gets paid... and maybe by a team that doesn't play the Chiefs so regularly. "Hopefully, he gets his contract, but hopefully, maybe it's not with Cincinnati," Mahomes joked. "I think it would help me out a little but if I wasn't playing that guy every single year. but he's a great competitor, man. He's always fun to go up against."
USA Today
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Patrick Mahomes officially shares his Letterboxd-style 4 favorite films
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes officially knows what the Letterboxd Four Favorites trend is (if he didn't already), and he's officially given the world his choices. As FTW talked with Mahomes about his new partnership with T-Mobile for its Friday Night 5G Lights initiative, we wanted to specifically pick Mahomes' cinematic brain for what his favorite movies are if he was filling out a Letterboxd Four Favorites section of his profile. His answers in part show his love for sports movies, as he decided to pick Friday Night Lights, Top Gun, The Sandlot, Remember the Titans. We'll let him explain why he chose each one specifically for his four favorite films. Friday Night Lights "[The movie]" fits perfectly for this with being a Texas guy," Mahomes shared. "I grew up watching that movie." Top Gun "Watching that growing up a little bit with my dad was always cool," Mahomes shared. The Sandlot "The Sandlot was my favorite movie as a kid," Mahomes explained. Remember the Titans "[I'll pick] another sports movie," Mahomes explained. "I'm a sports guy if you can't tell."
USA Today
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Q&A: Patrick Mahomes on Mavs fandom after Luka, high school football and more
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is a Texas high school football legend, and he still carries lessons from the Friday night lights with him to this day. The future Hall of Famer played his high school ball at Whitehouse High School in Whitehouse, Texas, the kind of small town where many athletes forge their dreams of being able to play sports on the biggest stages in the world. It's why his new partnership with T-Mobile for its 2025 Friday Night 5G Lights initiative makes all the sense in the world. Mahomes said he feels the initiative is a great way for him to give back and help other high school athletes reach for the stars like he did when he played in high school. "It's just such a natural fit for me," Mahomes said about the T-Mobile partnership. "Growing up in a small town, and high school football kind of being what everybody kind of breathes every single week in the fall. "[It's great] being able to be part of something that gives back to these high schools and gives these kids opportunities to go out there and live out their dreams." FTW chatted with Mahomes in June about the partnership, his high school football days and some pressing questions we had about Dippin' Dots, his Dallas Mavericks fandom perspective on the Luka Dončić trade, his social media habits and his noted love for ketchup on mac and cheese. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. What's the biggest thing you miss from your high school football days? I think just high school sports, and high school football especially, it just is the truest form of football. I mean, there's no money. There's no marketing deals. There's no sponsorships. It's all about just the love of the game and playing with the kids that you grew up with, and that's how I was in a small town is, I grew up playing little league baseball, little league basketball with the guys that were playing starting receiver for me in high school, and I'm still friends with those guys. And, so, this is the true love of the game. It's what the spirit of football was about when it first started, and I think it's really cool that T-Mobile's going to partner with a lot of these high schools, give them some money so they can broadcast their games, and they'll be able to have that for the rest of their time. When you look at your journey from high school to the NFL, what's the biggest thing that helps you from your high school days? Nothing was given to me... Football was never really the path for me, and you just had to go out there to work hard and earn everything that you got. I feel like a lot of people can resonate with that. It's not always going to be the 5-star quarterback or the person that comes with all the opportunities. It's about the guy that works hard every single day to be the best that they can be, and that's who usually has the most success because when they get the success, they know how to keep it by continuing to work hard. When I heard the Kelce brothers doing their podcast, they said you had a Dippin' Dots special fridge in your garage. How did you get that? I think it started off naturally. I think me and Brittney [Mahomes], we were at some type of game, and we ordered Dippin' Dots, and she posted on her Instagram story, and Dippin' Dots reached out to us and said they had these freezers that they could actually send to us so we could have them at home. And, so, I got them at home... [Travis Kelce] didn't tell the part where he kind of comes over all the time now and grabs two or three bags every time he's over. What was it like getting acclimated to Twitter when you were younger, and what's kept you going in terms of posting during live sporting events? In everything I do in my life, I try to stay authentic and realistic to who I am, and I was on Twitter just kind like how you probably were when it really boomed and I was getting into high school. And I was live-tweeting then as I do now. And so it's just being who I've always been. I love sports. I love watching games, and I react just like every other person does, and so I'll throw it out there. I get a few more retweets and then likes and stuff like that now, but it's the same tweets I've had my entire life. I know you're a big Mavericks fan... Where were you during the Luka Dončić trade, and what has it been like to process going from that to landing Cooper Flagg? It took me a while [to process everything]. I was actually at home when the Dončić trade happened in bed like I'm sure a lot of people were, and I remember rolling over and waking my wife up to tell her, like she cared as much as I did. She basically put on a good face for me, but she rolled over, went back to sleep, and it kept me up for a couple hours. But, it's more than just a basketball player, man. I've known Luka since he was 18 years old in Dallas, and I was down there, like 22 years old. So, [I'm] happy for him that he got to get to the Lakers, a great organization, and I'm sure the sky is the limit for them there, but [it's] exciting for me to win the draft lottery, a roller coaster of emotions, and getting Cooper Flagg now, it's going to be an amazing team. Get everybody back healthy, and we'll have as good a chance as anybody at making a run at the title this next year. Have you ever eaten Whataburger spicy ketchup on mac and cheese? I have not done the spicy Ketchup on mac and cheese. I mean, I've done the ketchup on a lot of things. I do like ketchup on mac and cheese, but I usually stick to putting it on my Whataburger stuff. But, if you get those French fries or that Whataburger with that ketchup, man, it's hard to beat that. And, so, glad to get it to Kansas City now. I probably go there more than [Chiefs coach Andy Reid] wants me to, but he can't be mad at me when he's eating all the cheeseburgers.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes expresses concerns about a potential 18-game schedule
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes recently spoke with CNBC Media & Sports Reporter Alex Sherman for the CNBC Sport videocast. He discussed his thoughts on the potential of an 18-game regular season. "I think that you'd have to find a way to have more bye weeks, more time spread out. Because, I mean, you've seen the amount of injuries that have kind of piled up there at the end of seasons, and you want to have the best players playing in the biggest games." said Mahomes, "And so if there were a way to get to 18 games, I'm not – I'm not a big fan of it. But if there were a way, I think you got to add some bye weeks in there to give more time for guys' bodies." Mahomes has a valid point about schedules and allowing additional time off for teams to accommodate 18 games. The Chiefs played on Black Friday and Christmas last season while enduring three games in eleven days. Kansas City will play seven prime-time games in 2025, the most of any team in the NFL. Their Week 1 game in Brazil against the Los Angeles Chargers is another unique aspect of their journey.
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Why Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs' offense must rediscover their old explosive ways
A year ago, not many disputed that Patrick Mahomes was the best quarterback in the world. However, after a season in which the Chiefs' offense was subpar by their standards, some see Mahomes' more recent dink-and-dunk style as evidence that he isn't who we thought he was. In ESPN's top 10 quarterback rankings, comprised of the opinions of league executives, coaches and scouts, Mahomes only received 60 percent of first-place votes this year. He received all but one vote last year. Advertisement Mahomes ranked 33rd in air yards per attempt (6.3) in 2024, according to TruMedia, and going back further, he ranks 40th in AY/Att. since 2022 (6.7) among qualifying quarterbacks. The Chiefs' offense went from a high-flying act, the likes of which we hadn't seen, to a ball-control unit. They were able to flip the switch when they needed to on offense in their back-to-back Super Bowl win run (2022 and 2023), but last season, moving the ball was more of a grind. They were winning by narrow margins and got exposed in the Super Bowl. Mahomes averaged 8.7 air yards per attempt in his first three seasons as a starter. With Tyreek Hill and prime Travis Kelce to throw to, defenses decided to sit in two-deep coverages to limit explosives, which led to a new defensive meta that we are seeing across the league. Since 2022, the Chiefs have faced the highest rate of two-deep coverages in the league (79.6 percent) according to TruMedia. However, last season, they had their struggles even against teams that dared to play them with single-high defenses. Their explosive pass rate against single-high defenses ranked 27th last season. Through game-planning and Mahomes' brilliance, the Chiefs have found ways to score points, but continual failed moves on the offensive side of the ball have left them outmatched against good defenses. Since 2022, after the team assembled an elite interior offensive line by drafting Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith, and signing Joe Thuney in 2021, the misses on offensive skill positions started piling up. Nearly all of their big investments in the draft and free agency on offense were misses. Skyy Moore and Clyde Edwards-Helaire are clear busts. Jawaan Taylor is a better-than-average tackle, but he was massively overpaid for the level of play he's provided for the Chiefs, and he was constantly pushed back in pass protection during last year's playoff run. Rashee Rice was on the verge of a true breakout, but he was hurt. Hollywood Brown was hurt for most of last season and didn't make much of an impact when he returned for the playoffs, and DeAndre Hopkins looked promising before an injury limited him in the playoffs. Rice's injury could be chalked up to bad luck, but Brown has only played one full season in his six-year career and Hopkins is 33 years old. When you miss on draft picks, these are the risks you have to take. Advertisement The team drafted Xavier Worthy in the first round in 2024 with a very specific role in mind, but he was asked to do more after Rice got hurt. To his credit, he took it in stride and produced late in the year and into the playoffs. Worthy was productive when he had plays schemed up for him — like bubble screens and handoffs — but when Rice returns, he'll take a bulk of those touches. Worthy has to take a big step in terms of his ability to win on the outside. However, he struggled to release and create separation against press coverage. It's an area he must improve on to become more than a complementary player. The Chiefs were dead last in 2024 in explosive play rate but fifth in success rate. Their success rate was largely because of an efficient run game and Mahomes' ability to convert on third-and-long. The Chiefs ranked third in third-and-long (7+ yards) conversion rate (32.6 percent), which is even more impressive considering their lack of talent at receiver and signs of regression from Kelce. The Chiefs simply were overmatched against good defenses. In the divisional round, the Texans' pass rush dominated the Chiefs' line, but defense and special teams bailed out Kansas City. The Chiefs had one of their best offensive performances of the season against the Bills in the AFC Championship Game. Buffalo's defense is more of a function of sound team play and scheme. When the talent level is closer to even, the Chiefs' offense can produce at a high level. Kansas City's offense was completely mismatched talent-wise in the Super Bowl. The Eagles didn't do anything special schematically. They simply played quarters all game, crowded Kelce, jumped short routes, and forced Mahomes to hold onto the ball for longer-developing routes. The offensive line couldn't give Mahomes the time he needed for his receivers to get downfield. The message should be clear after the Super Bowl: The Chiefs must create explosives again. To do that, they need to run the ball better and give Mahomes enough time to throw the ball downfield. Head coach Andy Reid is surely drawing up pass concepts that can beat quarters, and many of those concepts require throwing downfield. Advertisement They could use a true X receiver/ball-winner on the outside, but the receivers should be better with Rice returning from injury and Worthy having a year of experience. Kelce has trimmed down in the offseason and looks motivated to make what could be his last season a productive one. But did the Chiefs do enough to address the offensive line? They traded Thuney, who was a stalwart at guard for them and played left tackle admirably in last year's playoff run, to sign Trey Smith to a long-term deal, which they did on Tuesday, league sources tell The Athletic. Replacing Thuney will be 2024 second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia, who was drafted to play left tackle. Suamataia was a disaster playing tackle last year, but has potential inside. They signed Jaylon Moore from the 49ers, who played well when Trent Williams was hurt, and drafted Josh Simmons in the first round. Simmons has top-10 talent but fell in the draft because of a serious patellar tendon injury. 'I think (Suamataia) projects well at left guard and is part of signaling a return to the more physically thinking lines of before,' former Chiefs tackle Mitchell Schwartz told The Athletic. 'I was surprised Thuney got traded, but in thinking about why you'd trade Thuney and re-sign Trey long term, and move Kingsley to left guard permanently, it struck me that it's a return to physical pass sets and firmer pockets. Thuney is undoubtedly one of the best guards in football, especially pass blocking, but he takes more of a 'normal' pass set. The Chiefs have long emphasized firmer and more aggressive sets, and the combination of Trey and Kingsley gives them more size, more youth, more strength, more firm sets. Especially if your interior is the strength of your offensive line, be firm and allow the QB to step up if the tackles are having some issues.' Suamataia's only action at guard was in the season finale, when the Chiefs rested their starters but the Broncos played theirs. Schwartz added that Suamataia played well against one of the better defenses and defensive tackles in the league after practicing at left tackle during the offseason and presumably for most of the season. 'Overall, the offensive line should project to return to being one of the top units,' Schwartz said. 'The interior should remain great as a unit. Jawaan (Taylor) is overall better than people think because of the penalties and cadence/alignment issues, and left tackle has a floor of Jaylon Moore and a ceiling as high as they've had since Eric Fisher was drafted first overall in 2013 (referring to Simmons). The team has shown that they will commit resources to the OL over and over, through the draft, through free agency, and by retaining their own. The emphasis is on physicality to protect the QB and run the ball efficiently, with an eye on what it takes to win the Super Bowl.' The Chiefs have a lot riding on the development of Suamataia inside, as they must be a bigger threat on the ground. Last season, they were 11th in offensive rushing success rate but ranked 30th in explosive run rate. There are a few reasons for that. Though running back Kareem Hunt did a good job of finding holes and moving the pile, he doesn't have the long speed to outrun defenders at the second level. Also, the Chiefs use a shotgun run/pass option (RPO). RPOs are effective at creating space, but they can be a little slower to develop, and you don't get the downhill effect of an under-center run game. The Chiefs will always be an RPO team with Reid and Mahomes, but they could benefit from adding to their under-center runs, similarly to what the Bills did last season. Also, I was surprised the Chiefs didn't draft a running back higher than they did in a deep running back class. Isiah Pacheco has talent, but he's struggled to stay healthy, and he doesn't break tackles at a high level. I thought the Chiefs would be more aggressive in adding a running back, seeing what Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs did for their respective teams last season. Advertisement If they can stay healthy, the Chiefs' offense will be better simply because Mahomes will have more talent to throw to on the outside. But how they perform against top defenses depends on their rebuilt offensive line. The line will factor into everything from how explosive their run game is and whether they can throw the ball deep more often. Reid, Mahomes and Kelce have proven to be problem solvers in the last three years, but would prefer to be the problem for other teams once again. (Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Alex Grimm, David Eulitt / Getty Images)
