The Kansas City Chiefs are riding high on the heels of their second consecutive Super Bowl championship in 2023, but that doesn’t mean they're resting on their laurels. The team, led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, is deep into preparation mode, reflecting on both triumphs and challenges from the past season as they set their sights on new heights.
"The end result [last season] was awesome, but I think a lot of us still have a weird feeling in our mouth," Mahomes shared candidly. "It wasn't fun every single week having to try to just continue to get better and better and the results not paying off the way you wanted to. We have a lot of those same guys back and they know how that felt, so we're going to try to prepare ourselves better this year so that we can play better throughout the season and obviously try to end with the same result."
Revamping the Offense
One significant change in the Chiefs' off-season strategy has been bolstering the offensive lineup. The team has added two speedy wide receivers: the seasoned free agent Marquise Brown and the promising rookie Xavier Worthy. Worthy, who stunned scouts with a 4.21-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine, a new event record, has, however, faced some setbacks. A sore hamstring kept him sidelined for much of the off-season practice sessions, but Mahomes believes in Worthy's potential despite the hurdles.
"There's no easing [him in]. He's going to have to be ready to go," Mahomes asserted. "We got a lot of competition on this offense. He got a lot of mental work in these last few weeks that he had during OTAs and minicamp, but it's time to go now."
This new infusion of speed is expected to add a dynamic edge to the Chiefs’ offense, which Mahomes believes will face the best practice competition possible. "We added a lot of speed. What's better than going against our defense?" he remarked. "It's the best defense in the NFL and we get to go against them every single day and really show where we're at and how we can get better."
Training Camp Begins
All eyes will be on Missouri Western State University this week as the Chiefs' training camp commences. Quarterbacks and rookies have already started reporting, with the entire team expected to join them by Sunday. For Mahomes, this time of year is about honing their skills and coming into the camp with a heightened sense of urgency and intensity.
"We're back at St. Joe. It's time to get better. Every season starts differently. You've got to come in with that same mentality you had the year before, even with a higher intensity and even though we won the Super Bowl last year, we felt like we didn't play our best football, especially offensively," Mahomes explained. "So it's our goal to be better that way and coming in with that mentality every single day."
Balancing Family with Football
Amidst the rigorous demands of training and preparation, Mahomes is also gearing up for a significant personal milestone. He and his wife Brittany are expecting their third child, a fact that Mahomes approaches with characteristic enthusiasm and pragmatism.
"It's awesome. I always wanted to have kids young. I got to grow up in the locker room. I think I've talked about it before and it made such an impact in my life and so I wanted to have kids young and we're having our third kid now to join our family," he shared. "Brittany does a great job of doing that and we still go out and enjoy our life and let our kids see these great things they might not be able to remember what videos of and it is really cool. I spend so much time in the building at football for these seven, eight months and whenever I'm with my family, I want to enjoy those moments."
As he prepares for the upcoming season and embraces fatherhood once again, Mahomes signals that his growing family may soon reach its final expansion. "I'm done. I'll say that. I said three and I'm done," he concluded on starting a family.
As the Kansas City Chiefs gear up for another championship run, Mahomes’ leadership, coupled with the strategic additions to their team, will be crucial. Despite facing challenges in the previous season, the quarterback’s commitment to improvement and excellence rings clear. The Chiefs are not just aiming to defend their title; they’re striving to redefine their best game yet.