Patrick Mahomes' text messages to Brittany give the Chiefs hope ahead of Week 1
Poor cell service has made the QB hard to reach, but Brittany still hears from him
Patrick Mahomes has spent this summer buried in one of the most demanding stretches of his NFL career, balancing training camp with a relentless rehabilitation schedule as he works his way back from an ACL injury. That routine hasn't left much room for casual phone time.
The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback joked Tuesday that cell service inside the team’s dorms at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph is unreliable enough that he has barely been texting anyone during camp. There is one person he makes sure to reach.
“St. Joe’s dorm rooms, man, you don’t get a lot of text messages,” Mahomes told reporters. “I just try to make sure I text Brittany. If I text Brittany, I’m usually in a good spot.”
The comment came when Mahomes was asked whether he had been messaging Zach Ertz , who also suffered an ACL injury shortly before him.
“I haven’t been texting him during camp. I’ve been locked in throughout camp, but I know he’s still working,” Mahomes said. “I saw him throwing... I know he’s working too.”
Mahomes’ rehab becomes full-time job
The light moment with reporters came against the backdrop of an unusually intense offseason.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said earlier this month that Mahomes has been spending “seven hours a day” working on his recovery.
“He just goes,” Reid told CBS Sports. “He kept playing, he gets his rehab taken care of before and after practice, you know how he is, he’s all in.”
Reid also made clear that Kansas City has been careful not to let its quarterback push too far.
“He’s a great example to all the other guys around him that, ‘I’m gonna do whatever I have to do to get myself on the field,’” Reid said.
That urgency comes after a difficult year in Kansas City, with the Chiefs finishing 6-11 and missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
Brittany and family remain part of Mahomes’ perspective
Even as football has consumed much of his daily schedule, Mahomes has repeatedly said his family helps keep the sport in perspective.
“Football is a huge part of my life, but I’ve always tried to keep perspective,” Mahomes told PEOPLE. “Family, friends, my teammates, my foundation work, those things have always been important to me.”
He added: “During the season you’re so locked in, so having that time to slow down, be present with the kids, and just enjoy the people around you makes it special.”
Mahomes and Brittany have three children, and the quarterback said that responsibility remains closely tied to the way he approaches his career.
“I want to be the best for my family, my teammates, the kids who look up to this game,” Mahomes said.
Camp may have him spending hours on rehab, meetings and practice, with barely enough cell service to maintain a normal conversation. But one message, apparently, remains non-negotiable.
