Patrick Mahomes says he is up for playing flag football for the United States at the 2028 Summer Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee added flag football to the program for the Los Angeles Games last month.
The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, whose 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.
“I definitely want to. But I’ve seen some of those guys play the flag football. They’re a little faster than I am,” he said. “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, who will be 32 when the games begin, added: “Just don’t tell coach (Andy) Reid or (general manager Brett) Veach.”
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.
Mahomes is a two-time NFL MVP, a two-time Super Bowl MVP and has led the Kansas City Chiefs to the AFC championship game five straight seasons.
The Texas native has passed for 2,258 yards, 15 touchdowns with eight interceptions as Kansas City have started the season at 6-2. His 95.8 passer rating is the lowest of his career but the Chiefs are relying more than ever on Mahomes this season: their run game is 21st in the league and none of the team’s wide receivers rank in the top 40 in catches.
The Chiefs will play the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Deutsche Bank Park.
