For the past four seasons, Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey has been a cornerstone of the offensive line, protecting superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes and helping anchor one of the league’s most potent offenses. In that time, he has established himself as one of the NFL’s top centers.
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Since entering the league, Humphrey has been named to three Pro Bowls, started in two Super Bowl victories, and last offseason became the highest-paid center in NFL history—an accolade that reflects both his performance and value to the team.
At the heart of his success is his chemistry with Mahomes. The center-quarterback relationship is vital, and for the Chiefs, it’s built on communication, trust, and a shared commitment to preparation. In a past appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Humphrey revealed that he and Mahomes regularly break down game films together, giving him valuable insights into how Mahomes sees the field.
Joining former defensive end Chris Long on ‘Green Light,’ Humphrey elaborated on the experience of studying film with a quarterback of Mahomes’ caliber.
“It’s just so fun to be able to break down film with him and see how his mind works and how he’s watching film,” Humphrey said. “All the things he’s seen, all the little details, whether it’s from the D-line all the way into the secondary, he’s finding every sort of detail he can, and it’s impressive.”
He added that watching film with Mahomes has become a learning experience in itself.
“Being able to watch those film sessions with him, I feel like I’m learning so much about football, and learning different things every week,” Humphrey continued. “It’s awesome, we have fun in there too, we get to talk about a ton of stuff, but watching him break down film and seeing how his mind works is pretty crazy.”
Later in the conversation, Long asked Humphrey about his role in calling protections for Mahomes. While Humphrey does make calls at the line of scrimmage, he noted that Mahomes has the final say.
“Final say is always with Pat,” Humphrey revealed. “I go in there and call stuff, and he’s got final say. He’ll check protections whenever he needs to. My rookie year, I made a call and he changed it, and everybody looked at me like, dude, just go with his call, and I’m like, ‘yeah, fine, perfect.’”
Studying film is a crucial part of success at the professional level. It sharpens mental preparation and gives players the chance to anticipate what defenses will throw at them.
For a quarterback-center duo like Mahomes and Humphrey, watching film together deepens their understanding of the game from both perspectives, helping them operate as one of the most effective offensive tandems in the league.
Whatever Mahomes and Humphrey are doing behind the scenes is obviously working. They’ve each cemented their place as elite talents at their respective positions, and their preparation is clearly a big reason why.
