Patrick Mahomes Addresses His 'Dad Bod' — but Says It's Still a 'Great Body for a Quarterback'

Mahomes' comments come after a photo of his 'dad bod' from The CW’s 'Inside the NFL' went viral online back in January

Patrick Mahomes is getting candid about his “dad bod.”

The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback — whose body went viral in January after he was seen shirtless on The CW’s Inside the NFL — shared in a new interview that he is aware of his bulkier physique and has no problem with it.

“I definitely have the dad bod a little bit...,” Mahomes, 28, admitted in a cover story for the 2024 TIME100 Most Influential People list. “I’ll also say I have a great body for a quarterback.”

He further explained, “You’ve got to have some padding in there to take the hits that we take.”

Related: Patrick Mahomes 'Would Love to Play' Football Until Tom Brady's Age but Wants to 'Be There' for His Family

The NFL player previously spoke out about his body after the shirtless photo of him — which was taken in the Chiefs' locker room after they secured their spot in the Super Bowl — first made the rounds on social media and garnered lots of reaction online.

"Yoooo why they have to do me like that!?!?!?," Mahomes wrote in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), adding three laughing emojis and the hashtag, #DadBodSzn.

Quoting his own post, Mahomes added, "Like I got kids!!!" and tagged the official accounts for the Chiefs, the NFL and Inside the NFL, who replied to Mahomes, "Elite in our book."

Meanwhile, others, such as ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller, praised the football star for his physique online. He joked, "You and Jason Kelce doing more for dad bods than anyone in history," referencing the Philadelphia Eagles star's shirtless antics at the Chiefs-Bills playoff game.

Miller added that Kelce, 36, and Mahomes were "doing the lord’s work."

Related: Patrick Mahomes Cuddles Kids in Sweet Home Moment: ‘Why Are They So Perfect’

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However, Mahomes isn’t the only NFL player on the Kansas City Chiefs under scrutiny for his looks. In recent weeks, a photo of Travis Kelce’s “dad bod” sparked an online debate.

The tight end took to his New Heights podcast, which is co-hosted by Jason, to defended himself. “It's March [in the offseason], we're in the same weight class right now,” Travis laughed, after Jason said he weighed 283 lbs. that morning.

However, he also noted that he had previously shown discipline when it comes to food during the football season and important games. “I got back down to 250 and won the Super Bowl,” he boasted.

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