Patrick Mahomes wants his kids to understand what all his hard work was for. Speaking with CBS Mornings to talk about his role in Netflix’s Quarterback” the father of two, 27, talked about taking wisdom from his elder peers and applying it to his own family-work-life balance. “I actually talked to Peyton [Manning] about it for a while,” Mahomes said. “What stuck with me is he said, ‘At the end of my career, I wish I would have done it so my kids could’ve seen what I was doing every day.'”
The Kansas City Chiefs player said the comment “hit me, obviously, having two kids.” “When my kids grow up, I wanted them to see that dad wasn’t just gone just to be gone. I was gone doing something, to build, to be great. And so, whenever they get older, they can see how hard I worked,” he noted.
It’s also important to Mahomes to be a good role model to other kids aside from Bronze, 7 months, and Sterling Skye, 2, who he shares with wife Brittany. “I want to be someone that the kids can look up to and say that, ‘Hey, I want to be like Patrick Mahomes,'” he said. “And I want parents to think that, ‘Hey, that’s a guy that I want my kid to be like.’ And so, that’s how I’ll play the game.” Mahomes continued, “I try to enjoy it. I try to enjoy my time with my family. And when I’m on TV or when I’m in the spotlight, I try to show off the right example.”
“I want to always be remembered as a great quarterback, but remembered more as a better person,” he noted. “That’s my goal — I want people to see the love that I have for the game of football, the love I have for my family, and the love I have for being a role model. And I think if they see that, and they remember me as that, then I’ve done what I need to do.”
Mahomes knows it’s a very special time in his career and for his family, and he’s soaking it all in. “You enjoy the moments,” he said. “Being able to go home and see my daughter and see my son, I have a better understanding of being present and enjoying it.” “That translates to the football field. And we’ve been on a heck of a run,” he shared. “But I’m trying to enjoy those moments, ’cause I know it doesn’t last forever, even though we want it to.'”