If you need an example of just how much one Super Bowl can impact a quarterback’s public perception and legacy, look no further than the current discourse surrounding Patrick Mahomes. Heading into Super Bowl LIX, Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs were on the precipice of a historic championship three-peat.
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Nowadays, some are wondering whether or not he’s even taking his preparation for the 2025 regular season seriously. The NFL’s premier passer recently came under fire from a Kansas City sports radio host, who criticized Mahomes for his lack of muscle definition in a recent photo posted on the occasion of the 4th of July.
Suffice to say, that was more than enough for the host of the How Bout Those Chiefs podcast, Cole DeRuse, to issue an “off-the-cuff“ statement to the naysayers. “Six-pack abs automatically mean Super Bowl wins? No. That’s not how that works.”
Being sure to not give the undisclosed radio host the satisfaction of hearing his own name, DeRuse made it abundantly clear that this kind of criticism is as “ridiculous” as it is unwarranted.
“He just made it to three Super Bowls in a row. We’re questioning Patrick Mahomes’ work ethic, his training, because of a 4th of July photo? You washed up, no-good phony. Absolutely ridiculous… Patrick Mahomes is fat? He doesn’t train? He doesn’t take it seriously like Brady did? …What are we doing?,” DeRuse added.
Mahomes has won more games than any other quarterback through the first eight years of a career, and is the only signal caller not named Tom Brady who has managed to win 100+ games throughout that time span. Factor in the unprecedented rate at which he’s also been able to collect AFC Championships and Lombardi Trophies, and DeRuse is left wondering, “What is it going to take?”
“As a starter since 2018, how many playoff wins, how many Super Bowl appearances, how many Super Bowl wins, how many MVPs? …Why do we tear down the people who have done the most for the city from a sports standpoint? …He’s done everything that’s been asked of him. Has he been perfect every game? No. But who is?,” he elaborated.
Thankfully, it seems as if Mahomes has had no issues with blocking out the noise. During his most recent interview with the self-titled host of the Up & Adams Show, the three-time Super Bowl winner explained that he’s tired off of the offseason chatter and that he’s “just ready to play football again.”
Suffice to say, it’s clear that the lopsided loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and all of the disrespect that has accompanied it, has lit a fire underneath him.
“I feel like I’ve had to sit back and just listen to people talk and talk and I’m like, ‘Let’s just play football and just handle it all out there.’ I don’t really want to talk about it. I just want to go out and show who we are as the Kansas City Chiefs,” Mahomes said.
Heading into the 2025 regular season, Mahomes will be looking to prove that he is capable of extending the reign of the Chiefs’ dynasty. Given the confidence that Mahomes displayed while talking with Adams, as DeRuse suggests, fans and analysts alike would be well advised to avoid writing Kansas City just yet.
