As the Kansas City Chiefs chase a historic Super Bowl three-peat, Patrick Mahomes is taking a different approach to leadership, as he looks to rally the locker room ahead of the 2025/26 NFL season.
While the Chiefs found ways to win throughout last year, the spirit that once defined the team appeared dimmed as the team had to truly grind their way through to 15 regular season wins, seldom taking victory with a blowout score.
So, it was a season shaped by lessons learned despite being successful on paper, as the team landed another AFC Championship, but emotionally taxing behind the scenes.
Behind the victories and highlight plays, the locker room had lost something vital: its joy – and Mahomes, now entering his eighth NFL season, has opened up about the shift in energy that impacted the team during their most recent Super Bowl run.
“I feel like last year,” Mahomes told Up & Adams. “I don’t want to say it was pressure, but guys wanted to go out there and win every single week, not for the fun of the game, just because we’re supposed to.
“Let’s go out there and have fun. I mean, the wins will come if we play the way that we know we can play.”
Full steam ahead says coach Andy Reid
That comment highlights a subtle yet powerful evolution in Mahomes‘ leadership style. Gone is the overwhelming emphasis on expectations after the dream of a threepeat came to a close against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX.
The change in tone is no accident-it’s a calculated decision to recalibrate the locker room’s culture as the Chiefs enter one of the most talent-rich seasons of the Mahomes era with a fresh mindset to boot.
This renewed focus on fun coincides with the return of a reloaded offense as he wins back a slimmed-down Travis Kelce, Rashee Rice and a fully-fit Isiah Pacheco to offer Patrick some stability when it comes to available targets.
The wide receiver group has been reinforced with young speedster Xavier Worthy and the experienced Hollywood Brown, giving the Chiefs a very impressive range of depth with Mahomes at the helm – and the head coach, Andy Reid, doesn’t plan to pull his punches.
“We go full-steam ahead,” Reid told reporters. “You ask them to go execute those plays.
“If you’re not studying at home, you’re going to have a problem out there. But it looks like these guys are doing a good job with it.”
The Chiefs take on the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday, September 5 to open their 2025/26 NFL season with an all-AFC West clash that will be played in Sao Paulo, Brazil as part of the sport’s bid to improve its global reputation.
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