Former Chiefs receiver Byron Pringle shares insights on playing with Patrick Mahomes
Wide receiver Byron Pringle got a nice payday in the offseason, signing a one-year, $4.125 million contract with the Chicago Bears, which is more than he earned in four seasons combined with the Chiefs.
But Pringle, who met with the Chicago media on Wednesday, said that contract won’t change his attitude.
“I carry the chip on my shoulder every day, sir, and nothing will change,” Pringle said. “I still act like I’m that same undrafted free agent that came out of Kansas State in 2018.”
Pringle wasn’t selected in the 2018 NFL Draft, but his playing time increased each season in Kansas City. He was exclusively on special teams in his first season but made five starts at wide receiver last year for the Chiefs.
Despite being signed to catch passes from Bears quarterback Justin Fields, Pringle said he’ll do whatever is asked of him.
“I came here to play at a high level, execute and win, you know?” Pringle said. “Whatever it takes, whether it’s blocking, kick return, gunner, whatever they need me at. I’m just trying to win.”
A reporter noted that Pringle is going from an offense that had former MVP Patrick Mahomes at quarterback to one with a second-year starter who struggled as a rookie.
But Pringle’s focus is on the future.
“One thing about it (is) I always keep a smile on my face wherever I go, keeping that positive energy, you know?” Pringle said. “Coming here, we aren’t worried about the past, we’re trying to go forward, we’re trying to go up. We’re not looking back at what happened in the past. As a unit we try to be even better, hold each other accountable.”
Playing with Mahomes
Pringle was asked for his insights on being in the huddle with Mahomes, and he enjoyed being teammates with the NFL star. He indicated that he knew if Mahomes was going to target him.
“It was great playing with Patrick,” Pringle said. ”Being able to learn and be able to have fun while playing the game and know if I’m gonna get the ball or not. Because we knew what was going on before it happened, before the snap.”
Mahomes also had a message for anyone who joined the Chiefs offense.
“Just go out there to have fun with it. You know, don’t put too much pressure on yourself,” Pringle said. “He always installed that in the guys, like guys coming off the practice squad or new guys coming in. Just go out and have fun. So that was the big thing about Patrick.”
Here is the entire news conference, and Pringle declined to talk about being arrested in April in Florida.
