On the eve of the 2023 NFL honors ceremony, where Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes could earn his second career league MVP award, he was asked a unique question.
“What are you chasing?”
Maybe it’s not so unique seeing all the incredible things he’s accomplished in such a short amount of time. Some might say he’s chasing greatness, with one of the most impressive statistical starts to an NFL career in history, even having sat out behind Alex Smith during his rookie season. Some might say he’s chasing the achievements of other great players like Kurt Warner or Tom Brady.
Mahomes, however, views it differently. He says he’s chasing peace of mind and accountability.
“What I’m chasing is — I’d never say I’m chasing a player — I don’t want to have any regrets when I step off this football field,” Mahomes said. “I understand how lucky I am to be in this organization. I understand how lucky I am to play with guys that are going to be Hall of Famers. When I look back at the end of my career, I don’t want to look back and think, ‘Man, I didn’t give everything I have to win Super Bowls’ because of the great people that I have around me. So, when I get done with my career I want to make sure that I know that I gave everything that I have on that football field.”
It’s going to be a long time before Mahomes reflects back on his career as a whole, but it’s an admirable goal to have. He said earlier in press conferences that he can live with losing, but only so long as he knew that he prepared and performed at his absolute best.
We saw an all-time gutsy performance from Mahomes in the AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Fans should expect nothing short of that type of performance in Super Bowl LVII, even with the ankle injury.
