Patrick Mahomes: Justin Herbert comment ‘taken out of context’

Patrick Mahomes made headlines over the weekend for when he gave a lighthearted response to some trash talk from a fan, and he took a bit of a swipe at Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert in the process. Mahomes insists that was not his intention.

Mahomes was playing in the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe when a fan told him to “watch out for Justin Herbert next year.” Mahomes confidently replied, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” You can see the video of the exchange here.

In an interview with Jori Epstein of USA Today on Tuesday, Mahomes said he has a “ton of respect” for Herbert. He was really just trying to have some fun with all of the fans who attended the tournament and are supporters of his AFC West rivals.

“Yeah, I think it got taken out of context,” Mahomes said. “I was talking some trash to all those Raiders and Broncos and Chargers fans out there. I have a ton of respect for him as a player.”

Herbert threw for 4,336 yards with 31 touchdowns and — most importantly — just 10 interceptions as a rookie last season. L.A. ended the year on a four-game winning streak. Mahomes says he was just as impressed as everyone else.

“So it was kind of a joking matter that I think blew up on Twitter like most things to do,” the former NFL MVP said.

Very few people thought Mahomes was trying to be disrespectful to Herbert. It was obvious he was just having some fun with a Chargers fan. As for whether Mahomes actually should watch out for Herbert this season, time will tell. What we do know is that Mahomes has a very lofty goal in place for the Chiefs.