Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs got rings this summer, but not the ones they wanted. They didn’t parade through the streets, but this month, the Chiefs quietly donned their 2025 AFC Championship rings—silver reminders that the climb only just begins. In a hush that defined this franchise, the hardware sat heavy on fingers still aching from the Super Bowl defeat. No confetti, no champagne—those rings aren’t a celebration; they’re luggage for the journey ahead.

And you could notice that even though they are the AFC Champions, the Chiefs aren’t that thrilled with those rings, and are interested in only one ring. Take Travis Kelce and Mahomes, for instance. “I’m only interested in Super Bowl rings,” Kelce said after KC distributed the rings to celebrate their 32-29 win over the Bills in the 2024 conference title game.

“I know what the AFC Championship means to this organization and the family, and the 15 wins and everything is something special, but I’ll let everybody else be happy because last year wasn’t a success for me.” Mahomes, on the other hand, called this ring “a reminder,” as he’ll now store it at the bottom of his safe at home. The star quarterback stores the Super Bowl rings (we’re talking three in total) on top.

Those are the things that he wants to see and reminds himself of the Chiefs’ dynasty. But this year’s Super Bowl loss? It stings, sure. And it always will. But that loss will now serve as primary fuel for the 2025 season. To spice things up, Rick Burkholder, the Chiefs’ vice president of sports medicine and performance, gave his verdict on the QBs’ post-Super Bowl demeanor. He called it “nasty” during an event this week.

The Chiefs just wrapped up their mandatory minicamp. And if the reports are accurate, Mahomes turned heads during the three-day camp, especially in 11-on-11 drills. The 29-year-old QB threw fewer than five incomplete passes. And the major difference in the minicamp and this offseason for Mahomes is the continuity.

Most of his key weapons are returning from last year for the 2025 campaign. Kelce, along with the wideouts Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, and the former Chief, JuJu Smith-Schuster, are returning for the 2025 season. The folks out there are arguing that this might be the best group Mahomes has had since Tyreek Hill left the town.

And given that the Chiefs had a below-par offense last season, and Mahomes had a terrible Super Bowl performance, Andy Reid is out there challenging his quarterback all spring ahead of the next season.

Andy Reid challenged Patrick Mahomes to push the ball down the field more

Patrick Mahomes laid out one thing plainly and simply for the forthcoming season—he wants to bring back the kind of explosive offense the Chiefs had in his earlier years, when they could put up big points quickly and scare opposing defenses every Sunday. But the last season? Well, that wasn’t the case in 2024, even though the team finished with a 15-2 record.

The blockers up front didn’t give Mahomes enough time or protection in the Super Bowl. Several of the wideouts were injured, like Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown. Travis Kelce wasn’t himself. And Mahomes? Well, the quarterback wasn’t terrible, sure. But for a player of his calibre, he looked average at times. 26 TD passes (a career-low), only 6.8 yards per attempt, and only 245.5 yards per game. Again, a personal low.

And now that his crew is returning for this season, Coach Reid challenged Mahomes all spring to be more aggressive with his throws. Why? Reid wants Mahomes to take more deep shots down the field, rather than playing it safe with short passes. The head coach is clearly trusting the speed of his receivers, and Mahomes knows it pretty well.

“We have guys that can roll,” Mahomes said, addressing his receivers. “Our job is to test the defenses down the field, and we have to get back to doing that if we want to open up other guys underneath.” That said, having the same tight end for years and most of the same receiving corps from the last season is a big plus for Mahomes and his crew. With training camp and preseason up next, the Chiefs are focused on rewriting the narrative this season.