Chiefs Minicamp News: Patrick Mahomes Channels Lionel Messi; Fans Urge Alex Smith to Coach in KC

Patrick Mahomes is in the building for the start of mandatory minicamps. This only means one thing: The Kansas City Chiefs have officially begun their mission for revenge. Even though the franchise is still feeling the sting of their 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at Super Bowl LIX, it appears the spirits in the camp were high.

The league’s premier signal caller decided to warm up by juggling the pigskin as if it were a soccer ball. That managed to draw a few comparisons to the soccer GOAT himself, Lionel Messi.

Mahomes, of course, will never win the FIFA World Cup or the Ballon d’Or (the award given to the best soccer player in the world). But fans seemed more than content with his three Super Bowl victories to date, celebrating them while making the comparison with Messi.

Some wanted the social media platform’s new AI bot, Grok, to render an image of Mahomes in a Real Madrid jersey. No matter what the sport may be, people want Mahomes on their team.

The franchise even managed to bring in a familiar face to help out. The last star quarterback of Kansas City before the Mahomes era, Alex Smith, popped up to assist in the preparations.

Smith, it seems, would be an unofficial QB coach for the rest of the team’s signal callers. Other than Mahomes, that is. However, many fans took to the comment section to lobby for Smith receiving a full-time coaching job with the Chiefs.

Others were happy to see the two quarterbacks reunited once again. Smith’s mentoring of Mahomes played a direct hand in the success that the franchise continues to enjoy today. So he’ll always be a welcome sight for the Kansas City faithful.

Even though it’s been several years since Smith produced a 50-26 record as a starter with the Chiefs, his efforts are still appreciated to this day. Seeing as he also managed to guide Kansas City to four playoff appearances from 2013 to 2017, some were even willing to suggest that he’s a GOAT in his own right.

Ahead of Super Bowl LIX, Mahomes was informed that Messi would be in attendance to watch his attempt at an unprecedented three-peat. In a pre-game media scrum, he made his opinion on the all-time footballer debate clear.

“He’s the GOAT of his profession, and to have someone like that at the game will be awesome because I’ll get to showcase who I am and what talent I have,” Mahomes had said.

Unfortunately, that Sunday night didn’t go according to his plans. Were it not for a pair of garbage-time touchdown passes to DeAndre Hopkins and Xavier Worthy, the Eagles would have walked away with the most lopsided victory in Super Bowl history.

Nevertheless, the current face of the NFL and the players on Kansas City’s roster will now look to rebound in 2025. Given his propensity for winning conference championships and defying the odds, fans would be well advised to avoid writing off Mahomes and the Chiefs just yet.