Getty Former teammate Tyreek Hill told an interesting story about Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Patrick Mahomes II is a leader of men. That statement is very evident when you watch different Kansas City Chiefs rosters rally around him on the football field.
Having said that, being a leader isn’t always the same as being beloved. The great ones know when to be push their teammates beyond friendships and comfort zones.
And that’s exactly what Mahomes did for Miami Dolphins superstar Tyreek Hill when he was a member of the Chiefs — according to “the Cheetah” himself. During an exclusive sit-down with “The Pivot” podcast, which premiered on March 5, Hill recalled a story where Mahomes held his entire pass-catching corps accountable.
“Pat [is] a different dude, and I’m going to tell you how he’s a different dude,” the former teammate told co-host Ryan Clark and company. “I can’t remember what year it was, but [KC was] on a bad streak. Like, [Mahomes’] supporting cast was playing bad — me, [Travis] Kelce, [Demarcus Robinson], Mecole [Hardman], Sammy [Watkins] — we all was playing bad.”
“This dude called the whole offense up, he called the whole offense up. This was like, on a Tuesday, I believe,” Hill went on. Revealing: “He called us all up [and] cussed all of us the [expletive] out.”
“Me and Pat, we go back and forth, but that was the moment right there where he stood on business and it was like — bro, I really respect this [expletive] because he really just called out all of his [expletive] weapons,” the wideout acknowledged candidly.
Hill even noted that Mahomes looked each one of them in the eyes while putting them on blast. For Hill, he supposedly said: “Reek, you think you so [expletive] fast, but you can’t catch the [expletive] ball.”
“He was letting me have it,” the superstar admitted.
Tyreek Hill Says Patrick Mahomes’ Tough Love Motivated Chiefs When He Was There
All of this stemmed from a conversation on what makes Mahomes so great, and how Dolphins signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa can take the next step in becoming elite.
Hill’s overarching point was that Tagovailoa needs to become a little more like Mahomes as he develops as a quarterback. Pushing the right buttons and learning how to navigate those uncomfortable moments as a leader.
“He went to all of us, calling us all out,” Hill relayed, wrapping up the story. “And in that moment right there, I was like — yo, it’s go time now. That put so much fuel in my heart, bro. That next game, that’s when we began to get things rolling because you never want to get called out by the leader of your team like that.”
He added that they all felt like they couldn’t let each other down after that moment of tough love from Mahomes.
It’s Fair to Wonder What Patrick Mahomes Did to Motivate WRs Ahead of 2023-24 Super Bowl Run
If Mahomes let loose on a receiving group made up of Hill, a younger Kelce, Watkins, Hardman and Robinson, you have to wonder what he said to last year’s crop of pass-catchers.
Publicly, the Chiefs QB defended players like Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore time and time again after key dropped passes and painful in-game miscues. But was he so understanding behind closed doors?
If Hill’s story taught us anything, that answer is probably no.
It’s fair to wonder what Mahomes said to this current WR corps ahead of the postseason to motivate them enough to win a Super Bowl after the rough campaign that transpired. But whatever it was, the two-time NFL MVP probably didn’t worry about hurting anyone’s feelings.