Mahomes confident Chiefs aren't getting carried away with talk of topping Jordan
Patrick Mahomes welcomed his Kansas City Chiefs team-mates' ambition to create a dynasty and win more Super Bowls than Michael Jordan has NBA rings.
The Chiefs are preparing to mount a title defence in the 2020 NFL season after beating the San Francisco 49ers in February's Super Bowl LIV.
Mahomes' colleagues are certainly in confident mood as they look ahead to the new campaign, with defensive tackle Chris Jones and wide receiver Tyreek Hill making big predictions.
Jones spoke of finishing his career with at least five championships in Kansas City, an estimate Hill considered slightly too modest.
Hill told ESPN: "Why say five? Why not go seven rings? Right now we're just chasing Jordan, so that's what we do. So I'm going over five, and I'm saying seven."
Mahomes was asked about these comments on Saturday after he returned to the Chiefs facility, but he insisted Jones and Hill were not getting carried away and were instead well aware of the work required in years to come.
"You love the guys having the goals," the quarterback told reporters.
"They want to be in Kansas City for a long time and they want to win championships and they don't want to be average. They want to be great every single year.
Sounds good to us pic.twitter.com/hHmp3b6Hfu — Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) July 20, 2020
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"But I think you know these guys and how they talk, and other than these quotes, they're talking about the day-to-day process, they're talking about how hard it is to be on the top, to get to the Super Bowl.
"If you look at our season last season, we had a lot of adversity, a lot of ups and downs throughout the season and in the playoffs.
"I think the guys have that mindset that they have those long-term goals but they know that they're going to have to go out there every single day and prove that.
"They're going to have to go out there with the mindset to be great every single day. And if they go through that process every single day, they'll never have any regrets at the end of their career."
Any further Kansas City success will surely depend on the continued form and fitness of Mahomes, a former MVP and the Super Bowl LIV MVP.
He added of his condition: "I'm in great shape. I'm in probably the best shape I've ever come into camp at actually.
"I think conditioning wise and health wise, I'm in a great spot. But it's about getting those reps."