Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes on how Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods have influenced his career

Chiefs fans could go down a deep rabbit hole simply by searching for “Patrick Mahomes highlights” on YouTube.

In 94 career games (regular season and playoffs), Mahomes has made too many great throws to count — well, unless you watch his Top 100 Career Plays video on YouTube.

In the “Quarterback” docuseries, viewers got an up-close look at the workouts Mahomes does with personal trainer Bobby Stroupe. That work, Mahomes said in the Netflix show, prepares him to make those viral throws fans see seemingly each week during the NFL season.

“I work on them. If you’re put in this position, how can you make this throw?” Mahomes said in the docuseries. “That’s stuff I do in the offseason with Bobby, my trainer, that’s stuff I do with my quarterback coach, and that’s stuff that I do at practice with the Chiefs. And it’s prepared myself to be in those positions and to make those throws.”

During an interview earlier this month on CBS Mornings, Mahomes talked more about his preparation. Mahomes, the NFL MVP, cited Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods as role models for working hard in practice to prepare for game action.

Bryant, who died in 2020, spoke often about the importance of practice, lessons that Mahomes has taken to heart.

“I watch a lot of Kobe videos and if you ever watch anything about Kobe, he always talks about the shots that he practices thousands and thousands of times to take once, to take twice,” Mahomes said of the late Lakers star. “And that’s why you see all these amazing arm angles and throws and all that different type of stuff, but I prepare for those moments.

“And luckily enough for me, I’ve had a lot of great coaches that let me kind of be outside the box and really be who I am. And so whenever those moments do come up during the game, it’s not like it’s the first time I’ve done it. I’ve prepared for that. And I think that’s why it slows down (in a game). I think if you look at golfers like Tiger Woods, I mean he swung those swing so many times that he knows exactly how to swing and hit the shot perfectly in that exact spot.”

Mahomes agreed to do the Netflix series in part because it showed what he practices.

“When you see the highlights and everybody’s like, ‘Oh, it’s a highlight reel, it’s this guy, he’s being Superman out there,’ but they don’t see that preparation,” Mahomes said. “I think this docuseries shows that, that we’re preparing every day for that one throw that you’re gonna have to have a season, so you can execute it and go out and win games.”

Mahomes was asked about trying to reach Tom Brady’s record seven Super Bowl titles. It’s a goal for Mahomes, but he mentioned the stacked AFC field this season.

“I try to learn from Tom, and I’ve talked to Tom and try to learn from him as much as he’ll give me,” Mahomes said. “I think it’s a long ways away, but you have that goal in the back of your mind. And it’s going to be a lot of hard work. I mean, the AFC’s tough.

“I mean, all these young quarterbacks have came in since I’ve came in, and I’m kind of the old guy now. But at the same time, they’re all rising and getting better and better. So I can’t be satisfied with where I’m at. Where I was at last year is not gonna win the Super Bowl this year. I’m gonna continue to push and get better and better. If I can do that and try to get myself in these big games, I think we have a chance to win at least a couple more.”

Here is the entire Mahomes interview on CBS.