Do you remember that magical June afternoon at Kansas City’s minicamp? Patrick Mahomes spotted young Adam’s handwritten sign cutting through the crowd noise. “I beat cancer. Can I get a hug?” Those words read, stopping the superstar quarterback mid-stride during practice. Mahomes didn’t hesitate or look around for permission. He walked straight over and wrapped Adam in the kind of embrace that melts hearts and restores faith. The crowd erupted in applause while tears flowed freely among onlookers. This Tuesday brought something special.
MLFootball dropped a video on X that hit different. A young kid approached Mahomes with that burning question every aspiring athlete asks: “How do I become like you?” Mahomes didn’t give some cookie-cutter response. He leaned in with real talk. “I think the best goal that I’ve always said is just being great at everything. Not just football, not baseball, but I competed in school. I wanted to make straight A’s so I could beat other people in that.” The kid listened. Every word mattered.
HEARTWARMING: A young fan named Kody from Make-A-Wish asked Patrick Mahomes for advice on how to get to where he is today.
Pat gave the kid a beautiful inspirational answer. A class act
pic.twitter.com/e7vsvp7zQy
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) July 30, 2025
This wasn’t just quarterback wisdom. This was Mahomes living his truth. Back in Tyler, Texas, he dominated Little League baseball at 14. Rose Capital East rode its arm to the Junior League Baseball World Series runner-up spot in 2010. The Detroit Tigers saw enough to draft him in 2014’s 37th round. Pat Mahomes Sr.’s son wasn’t playing around. Football came later. The rest is Super Bowl history. That fourth-quarter comeback against San Francisco in Super Bowl LIV? Pure Mahomes magic. MVP trophy followed. The kid who wanted straight A’s became the quarterback who delivers championships.
But Mahomes dropped another truth bomb on that young fan. “And then there was being with my family, being the best brother that I could be. So whatever you do, just try to be the best at that. And I think that pushes you to be the best at football and being where I’m at today.” Family anchors everything.
Jackson Mahomes films his brother’s Super Bowl moments. Brittany Mahomes lights up the field during celebrations. Mia stays close to the whole crew. Patrick doesn’t just talk about being the best brother and husband—he lives it. The message hits deeper than football. Excellence becomes a habit. Whether it’s school grades, family relationships, or fourth-quarter drives, Mahomes approaches everything with championship intensity. That young fan walked away with more than an autograph. He got a blueprint for greatness that extends far beyond any playing field.
Patrick Mahomes preaches excellence to young fans, but when EA Sports slapped him with a 95 rating instead of the coveted 99 Club, the three-time Super Bowl champ took his own advice. Now he’s channeling that Madden snub into pure offseason fuel, proving that even superstars need motivation to stay hungry.
Patrick Mahomes turns Madden 26 snub into offseason fire
EA Sports just dropped its annual bombshell. Madden NFL 2025 began its ratings release, starting with the 99 overall club, which did not include Patrick Mahomes. Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson made it, but Mahomes didn’t. The snub hit Kansas City like a cold slap. In the wake of Mahomes receiving a 95 OVR rating in Madden 26, Groupe took that valuation as a way to motivate the three-time Super Bowl champion, who was already eager to prove doubters wrong following the dramatic collapse in the LIX edition of the game. Bobby Stroupe, Mahomes’s longtime trainer, saw the rating and knew exactly what to do with it.
Sep 12, 2021; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Stroupe doesn’t waste motivation. The founder of the Athlete Performance Enhancement Center took the perceived Madden slight and turned it into jet fuel for Mahomes’s offseason grind. While other quarterbacks celebrated their virtual ratings, he hit the training facility even harder. Stroupe’s methods aren’t your typical NFL prep—he draws from gymnastics, javelin, and sports most wouldn’t associate with football.
The 99 Club represents virtual perfection. Back in Madden 20, Mahomes jumped from a 77 overall to a 97 at launch, then earned a 99 later that season. It could happen again. After all, Mahomes has already carried that perfect rating in Madden 20, 22, and 24. But this year feels different.
The 2024 season was strange for Mahomes and the Chiefs. They didn’t dominate—but they only lost twice. Still, EA Sports wasn’t impressed. Despite back-to-back Super Bowl appearances and three titles in five years, Mahomes didn’t crack 99. Stroupe’s seen this before. He’s watched Mahomes turn doubt into dominance.
This Madden rating? Just another chip on the shoulder of a quarterback who doesn’t need more. Come September, that 95 might not just look low—it might look ridiculous. Mahomes has built a career on proving people wrong. And EA just gave him one more reason.
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