Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes has a 10-year contract. But he’s not sitting out free agency
Days after the Super Bowl, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes underwent surgery on a toe injury, turning a three-month chunk of his offseason into a rehab process.
A few weeks after the Super Bowl, Mahomes welcomed his first daughter into the world, transforming his life outside of football, too.
But through all the change, he’s still managed to take on one more new role.
Recruiter.
OK, that might be overstating it a bit, but as the Chiefs engage in free agency this week, Mahomes has been on the phone with prospective acquisitions. Multiple.
The Chiefs believe Mahomes represents one of their greatest sales pitches, so why not use him to, you know, make a sales pitch?
“I absolutely did talk to Pat,” said Chiefs offensive lineman Kyle Long, a three-time Pro Bowl selection who signed this week after a year away from football.
Mahomes also spent time talking with 49ers left tackle Trent Williams, who elected to stay in San Francisco rather than accept an offer from the Chiefs. As the story has been shared with The Star, it’s something Mahomes has wanted and even volunteered to do.
It’s well-known that signing with the Chiefs is likely to equate with signing up with a contender, given they’ve made two straight Super Bowls and three straight AFC Championships and have the quarterback, a regular MVP contender, locked in for the next decade.
So even when Mahomes isn’t the one delivering the message — and his conversations with potential additions is more intermittent than regular — his presence still carries weight.
“I’d like to think that once you can find a happy medium and a find a middle ground, that Kansas City and playing in front of this great fan base and playing with Patrick Mahomes and playing for Andy Reid is certainly appealing,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said earlier this month, ahead of free agency opening. “I feel like half the battle is already won with what we have to offer in regard to playing here.”
The Chiefs’ top two newcomers, at least so far, reside on the offensive line. Long made three Pro Bowls with the Bears, the only team he’d known before retiring for the 2020 season. The other, Joe Thuney, has already won a pair of championships with the Patriots.
Thuney said he didn’t need to talk to Mahomes to know Kansas City was the right fit. But he certainly knew that was part of the equation.
“I know what he’s all about, how hard he works and how he approaches the game,” Thuney said. “It will be great to block for him. Just excited to play with him.”
This story was originally published March 19, 2021 at 5:00 AM.