Offseason training activities for the Kansas City Chiefs have officially begun, and even though superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been working out with rookies and the rest of his team preparing for the three-peat, he had plenty of time to stop by one of his favorite sports talk shows on Wednesday afternoon.
First Things First on Fox Sports One not only features a collection of takes from NBA to NFL, but it also has one of the biggest Chiefs fans on television in Nick Wright. Wright, who has been the face of Kansas City fandom over the past decade, invited Mahomes onto the program once again for him to talk about everything from the NBA to his favorite (non-Super Bowl) plays to his favorite players to watch in his own sport.
Patrick Mahomes stopped by First Things First for an illuminating conversation.
Despite the NFL season not starting for months, Wright and his co-hosts Kevin Wildes and Chris Broussard started Mahomes' time on First Things First by asking him about his favorite play of his career that did not come during one of his three Super Bowl victories. Mahomes didn't miss a beat, bringing up a fourth-and-nine play against the Baltimore Ravens during his first season as a starter.
What is @PatrickMahomes' favorite play of his career — non Super Bowl related?
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) May 22, 2024
What's your favorite play of his career so far? pic.twitter.com/bGYhkUnKt2
"That was kind of that first year when I'm trying to prove myself and to have that play and that moment was a big one ... I think kind of jump-started my career," Mahomes said as the First Things First production crew flashed the play across the screen.
They also asked the Chiefs' QB who he likes to watch in the NFL and what he enjoys about them, to which he immediately brought up Buffalo Bills' QB Josh Allen who he has played in the playoffs in three of the past four seasons.
"Josh man, we play a lot of similar opponents and we play a similar style," Mahomes said before listing off a couple other QBs in the league that he enjoys. "I like watching CJ Stroud now, he's making plays happen ... And Joe (Burrow), we play the same teams and watching him play gives me ideas on how to prepare our offense."
Mahomes the basketball star?
Before moving on to NBA talk and discussing Mahomes' favorite team, the Dallas Mavericks, it was the Chiefs' quarterback cracking jokes at himself and his age by saying he "gets to hold that title as the old guy" now as he watches some of the younger QBs elevate their teams in today's game.
Afterward, Wright and the rest of the First Things First crew talked about how Mahomes' father stated that the three-time Super Bowl champ was actually better at basketball growing up. Mahomes smiled at the thought of playing in the NBA with a year to train, but eventually stated that "I don't think I could play now."
"If I continued to try and play from eighth grade... I played point guard, I could shoot, I could pass," Mahomes continued, "I thought that was going to be my dream, but once I stopped growing I knew I had to choose between baseball and football."
Mahomes even compared his style on the court to Carmelo Anthony, his favorite player growing up, saying he "used to shoot mid-ranges" but that his game is much more like his favorite player today, Luka Doncic.
Mahomes teases the behind-the-back pass once again...
Before letting Mahomes continue with his day, the crew brought up a promise that he made before last season when he told them he would make a behind-the-back pass during a real live game. After a full season without that happening it was Wildes who brought up that Mahomes looked somewhat like a liar and asked if that was something we could see this season instead.
"We didn't play as well offensively as much for me to pull the behind-the-back pass off," Mahomes joked about the Chiefs' offensive struggles early in the year. "But Coach Reid wants me to throw it more than anyone in the world. He deliberately puts in plays for when I have the opportunity to throw it ... One of these games we've got to do it, the hype behind it is huge."
Mahomes even joked that he hopes the crazy pass behind his back would end up in the hands of Travis Kelce, his most trustworthy pass-catcher, because "he always knows where I'm going" with plays.
Could this be the season we finally see Mahomes play as if he's in an old copy of NFL Street? And if so, would it be to the likes of Kelce or could he fake out everybody and send it spiraling towards a player like Isiah Pacheco or Marquise Brown? We'll find out in a few months.