Patrick Mahomes clarifies 'out of context' trash talk about Justin Herbert

Staff writer

Wed, Jul 14, 2021, 9:59 PM·2 min read

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes didn't mean to trash Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert at a celebrity golf tournament. Mahomes explained he meant no disrespect to Herbert, who's +2000 to win AP NFL MVP with BetMGM, and was just trying to get rival fans going.

Mahomes raised eyebrows after footage emerged where a fan at the event told Mahomes to "watch out for Justin Herbert next year." Mahomes responded, "I'll see it when I believe it." People interpreted that as a shot at Herbert, but Mahomes said it was just general trash talk, according to USA Today.

“Yeah, I think it got taken out of context,” Mahomes told USA TODAY Sports by phone Tuesday, speaking in conjunction with Bose. “I was talking some trash to all those Raiders and Broncos and Chargers fans out there. I have a ton of respect for him as a player.”

Mahomes made it sounds like he was trying to mess with fans by putting down their teams, not specific players. But that comment came across harsher than he intended.

To show there is no bad blood, Mahomes made sure to praise Herbert for his excellent rookie year.

“For him to come out in Year 1 and play at that level is a special thing,” Mahomes said. “Not a lot of guys can do it. And I know I’ll have a lot of tough games against him in the future. So it was kind of a joking matter that I think blew up on Twitter like most things to do.”

The Chiefs and Chargers split their series last year. Mahomes came out on top in the first meeting against Herbert. While the Chargers beat the Chiefs in Week 17, Chad Henne started the game for Kansas City.

Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert should battle for AFC West

At 25, Mahomes still qualifies as the best young quarterback in the NFL. That shouldn't take anything away from Herbert, who looked like a future superstar as a rookie. In 15 games, Herbert threw for 31 touchdowns against 10 interceptions.

Herbert was already one of the better quarterbacks in the game last season. If he can take a step forward in Year 2, he'll be among the elite names at the position.

He still has a long way to go before catching Mahomes — who already has a Super Bowl ring and MVP award — but Herbert has the talent to at least make things interesting in the AFC West for years to come.