Brandon Flowers talks retirement with Chiefs and Super Bowl 54

It’s been a few years since Brandon Flowers held down a spot on the boundary within the Kansas City Chiefs defense, but that doesn’t stop him from very much feeling a part of what happens within the confines of Arrowhead Stadium these days. In fact, Flowers sounds as much a part of Chiefs Kingdom as ever before.

The familial connection with the Chiefs is part of what makes the franchise such a special place to work, according to Flowers. It’s why he even came back to Arrowhead last week to retire for a special offseason moment to properly end his career where it began.

Last week, Flowers officially retired after nine years in the game, although he hasn’t officially played a snap since the 2016 NFL season (and even then, his last three seasons were with the San Diego Chargers). The former second-round pick of the 2008 NFL Draft had quite the nose for the ball in his six years in K.C., a stint that ended with his first and only Pro Bowl appearance in 2013 (in Andy Reid’s first season on the sidelines).

Brandon Flowers spoke with Mitch Holthus about his recent retirement with the team, his thoughts on Super Bowl 54, and what he’s doing now.

As part of his return to Arrowhead, Flowers sat down to tape an interview with Mitch Holthus which was recently released on a new episode of Defending the Kingdom. He described what it was like to be back at Arrowhead.

“It feels so good,” said Flowers. “Just pulling up to the stadium, getting chills, just thinking about the war chants, seeing everyone I missed for so long. Coming into the locker room and seeing that sea of red made me want to suit up one more time. But that’s just what that building does to you. It’s a special place. We’re all about family here—a great fan base. This is just a special community all in one when you talk about the Chiefs so I definitely appreciate it.”

Holthus asked Flowers about the Chiefs’ only championship in the last 50 years and how that felt to watch it. Flowers, after all, had been a part of some of the darkest seasons in franchise history, including the two-win 2012 campaign that also featured the murder/suicide by Jovan Belcher of Kasandra Perkins. While no one brought up such disturbing history, Flowers did say he “definitely felt a part” of the Super Bowl win.

“I was actually at the stadium,” said Flowers. “I was calling the game for a network in London, so I was actually in the press box. The whole time I was like, ‘They have to get this done. They have to get this done.’ Once they got it done, when they ran on the field, when I saw the confetti come out, I was smiling ear to ear. It literally felt like I was on the field. I talked to DJ [Derrick Johnson] after and a couple of guys, and they felt the same way. It was like, ‘Listen, that was our championship also with the blood, sweat, and tears we put into it.’ We were so happy for the Chiefs to get that ring and we definitely felt like we were a part of that championship.”

These days, Flowers is learning a brand new trade and it’s not in the broadcast booth. He says he’s taking a break from the analyst game in order to remain in front of the cameras as an actor instead.

“I took a break from being an analyst so now I’m getting into acting full time,” said Flowers. “Sometimes as athletes, we work so hard to be great at one thing and you think you can be great at everything, but starting a new career is tough. The thing about being an athlete: we’re perfectionists. We always want to be the best at whatever we do, so right now I’m taking all the strides to be one of the top actors in the world. Hopefully, you’ll see me on the screen coming soon.”