Patrick Mahomes is reportedly scheduled to take a trip to the NFL Academy in London during the academic year. What does that mean for the calendar?
Earlier this offseason, the NFL announced an exciting new initiative to expand its fan base (and athlete base) with a special project in London called the NFL Academy.
The announcement calls for the formation of a school in which athletic students can apply to learn to play American football alongside their main classes as a special vocational training. The program calls for up to 80 entrants in its first season, and each accepted applicant will be given insider access to a lot of NFL resources, including free gear, pro coaching, and access to athletes from time to time. It was a list that included Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
When the news dropped in May, the NFL Academy was an obvious next-level attempt at growing the game’s popularity in a global society. Mahomes was just one of a few exciting athletes already tied to the project in terms of a commitment to go overseas and help provide hands-on technique and tips to athletes who want to learn the game. The goal is to get European talent into the American college football system and grow athletes that way. Imagine the NFL if there were numerous players from the U.K. and beyond earning playing time.
However, a new bit of news dropped by Jenny Vrentas over at Monday Morning Quarterback brings up an important point in terms of Mahomes and timing. Check the following from Vrentas:
"Toward this end, they secured three young NFL stars as ambassadors. JuJu Smith-Schuster was in London for the final round of the trials, and Odell Beckham Jr. came for a previous round, cheering on the applicants for nearly three hours as they competed in combine events like the 40-yard dash. They plan to bring Patrick Mahomes over to visit the academy during the academic year. “We could end up having five QBs in this class,” NFL UK managing director Alistair Kirkwood says, “and how cool would it be to have Patrick Mahomes giving you tips?”"
No one has said exactly when Mahomes would go over. No specific dates have been mentioned at all. But when the academic year is mentioned, that’s right in the middle of the NFL season. For a Super Bowl hopeful like the Chiefs, that means that the earliest Mahomes should be available to go anywhere for anyone would be next offseason. But would the NFL Academy really tout Patrick Mahomes arrival nearly one year in advance?
Or maybe there’s another scenario: Patrick Mahomes taking an overseas trip in the middle of the regular season. Each team gets a bye week, so there’s a chance Mahomes could spend his downtime doing the league a favor and going to London and back to tutor teenaged NFL hopefuls. It’s also possible the trip would be so there-and-back that Mahomes could squeeze in something at a different point.
While Mahomes would likely be just fine even if he were to go over sometime during the regular season, it’d be much more exciting as a Chiefs fan to see any such favors for the NFL done in the next offseason—during the spring academic term when, you know, there’s not a “next opponent.”
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Given how much is made of NFL travel for the teams forced to play in London during the season, what sense would it make to force the reigning MVP to take a personal trip himself?