The idea behind President Donald Trump hosting the owner of Slap’s BBQ of Kansas City at the White House on Monday was to put attention on the Small Business Summit in Washington, but the sports-fan-in-chief quickly turned the conversation to his concern for Patrick Mahomes.
“The most important thing, how’s Mahomes doing?” Trump asked Slap’s president Joe Pearce about the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback. “Is he OK?”
“He’s OK,” Pearce said without hesitation, suggesting he really knows.
“You tell the people we love him,” Trump added.
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Of course he does. The Mahomes family, starting with the quarterback’s mother Randi and his wife Brittany are known Trump supporters while brother Jackson at one point was thrilled to get a selfie with the president. Mahomes has avoided making a public endorsement for Trump but obviously the family’s general inclination is not a secret.
So, obviously, the president is hoping for good news on Mahomes, who is recovering from a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee, an injury he suffered last December as perhaps the biggest blow to the disappointing Chiefs 2025 season.
But Trump wanted more than a general answer. He pressed Pearce further.
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“So, he’ll start Game 1, you think?” Trump asked.
Now, it should be noted that brothers Joe and Mike, who founded Slap’s, are big dudes. So did the president think one of them was actually Chiefs coach Andy Reid?
Joe and Mike know Baby Backs. But they don’t know if Mahomes will be ready for the regular season or not.
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They tried anyway.
“We’re hopeful,” the brothers said in unison.
Great.
The fact is there is actually some good news for Trump to chew on without it being served up by the BBQ guys. Over the weekend, Reid gave reporters a positive report on Mahomes.
“Yeah, I know he’s doing a lot of stuff right now,” Reid said. “That’s what I can give you. He is throwing the ball, and he does it on his own so he’s not getting in any trouble here.”
The Chiefs begin their Offseason Team Activities (OTAs) on May 26. Is it possible Mahomes, five months post-operative, might be able to participate in some of those?
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“We’ve got to see on that,” Reid said. “He is in a good position to be able to do some things. There’s some rules and regulations that go with that. So, we just have to make sure we’re on top of that part, but if he can do some things, Phase Two remember, is there’s no contact, no offense versus defense.”
Mahomes has spent most days rehabilitating in the Chiefs’ training facility. He’s posted an Instagram video of himself taking drops although not at full speed.
“He’s in a position where he can do everything I think,” Reid said.
