Could Patrick Mahomes follow in the footsteps of NFL legends Jim Thorpe and Herschel Walker by competing in the Olympics?
With the addition of flag football to the 2028 Los Angeles Games, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback says he can envision himself representing the United States.
‘I definitely want to,’ Mahomes said ahead of Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany.
‘But I’ve seen some of those guys play the flag football. They’re a little faster than I am. I know there’s not like linemen blocking for you. I’ll be 31, 32 years old. So if I can still move around then, I’m going to try to get out there and throw the football around maybe in LA.’
Mahomes’ scrambling and ad-lib abilities would translate well to the sport, was asked Friday at a news conference in Frankfurt if he would be interested in playing.
Patrick Mahomes is in Frankfurt, Germany this week for the Chiefs game against the Dolphins
‘Just don’t tell coach [Andy] Reid or [general manager Brett] Veach,’ Mahomes added.
In flag football, ‘tackles’ are made by pulling a flag off a belt worn by each player. It will be 5-on-5 played on a 50-yard field. There are no offensive and defensive linemen.
At the World Games last year, the US men won the gold medal, and the women lost to Mexico in the final.
The NFL has aggressively promoted flag football both domestically and internationally to expand its fan base, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that active league players will be competing in the Olympics given the potential for injury.
Robert Edwards’ career was effectively ended by a knee injury he suffered playing flag football
At a beach flag football game before the 1999 Pro Bowl, Patriots rookie running back Robert Edwards suffered a gruesome knee injury and nearly had to have his leg amputated
US blobsled teammates (L-R) Herschel Walker, an NFL legend, and Randy Will
At a beach flag football game before the 1999 Pro Bowl, New England Patriots rookie running back Robert Edwards suffered a gruesome knee injury and nearly had to have his leg amputated. The injury cut short a promising career and raised questions about the risks players take by competing in competition outside of competitive NFL games.
While flag football is new to the Olympics, there are a number of Olympians among NFL alumni.
Thorpe won two track-and-field gold medals in 1912, while Dallas Cowboys receiver Bob Hayes captured gold in the 100-meter dash and 4X100 relay at the 1964 Tokyo Games.
Walker, on the other hand, competed in the Winter Olympics as part of a two-man bobsled team that failed to medal at the 1992 Albertville Games.
