KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs are itching to get back to action and defend their championship.
“I’m ready to get back after it,” Super Bowl LIV MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes said Saturday morning during a Zoom video conference with reporters.
Mahomes and several other players met with reporters less than a day after the NFL Players Association and the NFL agreed on a framework to start training camp on time.
That framework allows players to report to Arrowhead Stadium as soon as Saturday to begin COVID-19 testing. Rookies had already reported to the facility earlier in the week to start their testing.
Back in the building! pic.twitter.com/zxkn8qVNX3
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) July 25, 2020
“Seeing all the protocols make me feel better,” Mahomes said.
While players are starting to return to the facility, it will still be several days before players will take to the field. Mahomes isn’t worried about any delays and says he’s in the best condition he’s ever been in heading into camp.
NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero tweeted Saturday morning that the first several days for Chiefs players will be focused on testing and virtual meetings. It may not be until Aug. 3 when on-field work begins. Pelissero reports contact practice won’t begin until Aug. 17.
NFL players just received this email breaking down how this unique training camp will work: pic.twitter.com/UoCwXxialO
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 25, 2020
One player who won’t take part in this year’s training camp is guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who posted Friday night that he will forgo the season to focus on using his medical degree to help people dealing with the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mahomes said he supports the decision “100 percent.”
“Being a doctor is extremely important, especially at the time we’re at right now in this world,” Mahomes said.
