It is true that Patrick Mahomes asked an NFL official for help during Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos. However, his request was misinterpreted by the CBS broadcast crew of Kevin Harlan and Trent Green so they floated a false theory about what he said.
As a result, fans are wrongly convinced the league is rigged in favor of the Kansas City Chiefs and their superstar quarterback.
The exchange in question took place during the first half. Mahomes dropped back to pass on 2nd-and-7 and was immediately forced out of the pocket while rolling to his right. With no one open downfield, he was wrapped up by the defense after a short gain of maybe two yards.
The result of the play ultimately did not matter because of a flag. Offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor was not lined up properly at the snap so the Chiefs were penalized for an illegal formation.
As Mahomes got back to his feet, a hot mic very clearly picked up what he had to say.
Can you let me know if he’s close? Tell me… tell me…
— Patrick Mahomes
He was speaking to a nearby referee.
Is the NFL working with Patrick Mahomes?
Harlan and Green made a false assumption about the inquiry. They implied that Mahomes was asking the official to let him know when a defender was about to tackle him. Considering the recent history of questionable late hits on the league’s best signal-caller, it was a rather suspicious plea.
Excuse me, Pat Mahomes???? pic.twitter.com/hTESFG4fIB
— ᴄʜᴀsᴇ (@BolieveInNix) November 10, 2024
It is very easy to connect the same dots as the CBS broadcast team and assume the NFL is working with Mahomes to ensure his success. If an official was to actually give him a heads up about a nearby defender, that would indeed be considered collusion.
But that is not what happened…
Mahomes did ask the nearby line judge to tell him if “he’s close.” That was heard as clear as day.
Despite what Harlan said, he was asking the official to let him know if Taylor was lined up off of the line of scrimmage to avoid another illegal formation penalty. While that might also seem fishy, it is very common. Especially with wide receivers.
Officials often let players know when they are unknowingly out of formation. That is true for all teams, not just Kansas City.
In this specific instance, Patrick Mahomes just wanted to be made aware of Jawaan Taylor’s positioning. It was totally harmless, even though CBS made it seem otherwise.