Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is set to be featured on the cover of GQ magazine next month. An expanded, digital version of the profile GQ did on Mahomes has already made it online. Below you’ll find a quick look at some of the things we learned from Mahomes by way of GQ staff writer Clay Skipper.
What Mahomes said to Roger Goodell following the BLM video
“During his chat with the commissioner, Mahomes says, Goodell was curious about the young quarterback’s perspective and about what he wanted to see and do going forward. Mahomes explained that he wants to draw attention to voter-registration efforts: ‘Helping young adults, but especially the Black community, get registered to vote. It’s the first step.'”
Following the viral Black Lives Matter video that Mahomes was featured in, he spoke with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Up until now the content of their conversation was privileged. It sounds like Goodell genuinely wanted insight and ideas from a player that many see as the new face of the NFL. In addition to talking about voter registration efforts, Mahomes and Goodell talked about the league adding a “social-justice officer” whose goal is to help players become more successful in their social activism efforts.
Has Mahomes thought about what happens if there is no NFL season in 2020?
“Even though those financial concerns have evaporated in a $503 million poof! the coronavirus created an entirely new set of problems. What if he lost a year when he was playing at historic levels and somehow still getting better, when his popularity was at an all-time high? What would that feel like? What would he do with all that time?
“‘I have zero idea,’ he said. ‘Literally no idea.'”
There still exists the possibility, however unlikely, that the COVID-19 pandemic prevents an NFL season from happening. It’d be absolutely heart-wrenching for Chiefs fans, who’ve waited a lifetime for a quarterback like Mahomes, to somehow lose out on a season of his career. But how would Mahomes feel? What would he do with his time if the season suddenly didn’t happen? The answer is that he hasn’t the slightest idea.
We can assume that he’ll probably stick to his offseason routine, which consists of training, video games and golf, among other things.
What does Mahomes’ offseason routine look like?
“He’s up at 7 a.m., often with no alarm. He flips on TV, usually ESPN—where occasionally he’ll find that he’s the topic of discussion—drinks his coffee, then drinks a pre-workout supplement concoction, in that order. At 9 a.m., a workout: an hour for arms, an hour and a half for legs. Then he eats lunch, after which some days he has a virtual meeting with teammates and coaches or he plays video games. Only in this narrow noon-to-2 p.m. window, though. He doesn’t ‘want to get lost in playing video games all day.’ During the season he swears them off.”
A day in the life of Mahomes seems pretty normal from the looks of it. It feels closer to an everyman than a quarterback worth a half-billion dollars. In addition to the details above, Mahomes’ day includes a 3 p.m. tee time or Peleton ride depending on the day. He’s pretty dang competitive with that whole leaderboard system they have.
By 5 p.m., he’s hanging out with his longtime girlfriend Brittany Matthews and their two dogs, Steel and Silver. Without any prior commitment that’d keep him up, he’s in bed sometimes before 10 p.m., which is somewhat surprising for a 24-year-old superstar athlete.
The bet that had Mahomes and Travis Kelce’s signatures tattooed on Post Malone
“Post loses. ‘He has a tattoo artist literally in the room,’ recalls Mahomes, who sounds alarmed even in retrospect. ‘I’m like, ‘Dude, you do not actually have to get a tattoo of our autographs.’’ And certainly, by now, you know this too: Post Malone is a man of his word, and gets his new tattoo done backstage, immediately after the show, inking onto himself a squiggly Patrick Mahomes autograph that looks like it had been written by someone who’d been drinking all day to be tattooed onto someone who’d been drinking all day.”
You’ve probably heard this story in some form before, but a few more details came out in this piece. At a Post Malone concert following the Super Bowl parade, Mahomes and Travis Kelce were challenged to a friendly game of beer pong by the rapper. Mahomes and Kelce won over a dozen games and Post Malone decided to up the ante with a bet that ultimately landed their signatures permanently affixed to his body.
Mahomes is proud of his background
“‘I’ve seen how people, on Twitter, have tweeted and said, ‘‘Oh, you’re not full Black,’’ he said. ‘But I’ve always just had the confidence and believed in who I am. And I’ve known that I’m Black. And I’m proud to be Black. And I’m proud to have a white mom too. I’m just proud of who I am. And I’ve always had that confidence in myself.'”
Mahomes’ detractors exist, even within the Chiefs Kingdom. And they attempt to shame him for coming out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. They don’t want politics and football — let alone their quarterback — mixing. The thing is that Mahomes is proud of his background and he doesn’t believe that it exempts him from speaking out or having a voice in this fight against racial injustice. In fact, he uses his background as a guide through a complex issue. He can recognize the privilege he’s had, but also the fear in the back of his mind. As Skipper says, Mahomes’ background “shaped his worldview.”
An uncommon charisma
“But if Mahomes’s game-breaking talent has become evident to all, Kingsbury thinks the Chiefs also benefit from something more hidden: a ‘magic people don’t see,’ an uncommon charisma.
“‘I’ve been around a couple of guys who can do this—Tom Brady was one of them: He can be one of the guys, and that’s why they all love him and they play their asses off for him, and when you talk to his teammates they rave about him. But when it’s time to step it up, they know how to separate and be the guy,’ explains Kingsbury. ‘They’re secure in who they are. They’re genuine. They know they’re the baddest motherf***** on the field.'”
The special trait that Mahomes carries that makes him so great has been described in a number of different ways. Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury, his former head coach at Texas Tech, really captures it here in a unique way. Talking not about his football prowess, his arm strength, or all of that. Instead, it’s the “uncommon charisma” that he has that makes him so special. It’s something you can’t coach, but when you’ve worked with the great ones, you see it and understand it.
The guiding philosophy of Mahomes
“Reid says Mahomes is guided by a simple philosophy: Nothing’s impossible until we make it impossible. ‘Pat thinks that way. He likes that. He wants to be challenged with those new things. Anything’s possible—let’s go try it.'”
“Nothing is impossible until we make it impossible” is the guiding philosophy of Mahomes according to Chiefs HC Andy Reid. The no-look passes, the left-handed throw, the comebacks in the playoffs — all these moments were inspired by that belief.
Looking back on it, when people doubted Mahomes in 2018 because of training camp interceptions, it was silly. This was a time meant for mistakes and interceptions. Mahomes pushes the envelope during practice to see what he can get away with on the football field when things actually matter. It’s why Mahomes practices no-look passes, off-platform throws and so on. Then, when it comes to a time where something spectacular is required of Mahomes, he’s always prepared and never counts himself out.
