Patrick Mahomes’ ‘Knuckleball’ Gets a Straight No From Jason & Travis Kelce After Being Inspired by Padres’ Matt Waldron

Patrick Mahomes‘ knuckleball is not going to work! The Kansas City Chiefs’ QB attempted a knuckleball during the latest minicamp, seemingly inspired by Matt Waldron, a pitcher for the MLB side, San Diego Padres, and famous for his masterful knuckleballs. While the variation is quite useful in baseball, according to Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce, it may not work in the NFL.

On the June 19 episode of the “New Heights” podcast, the Kelce brothers opined on Mahomes’ viral knuckleball video. Jason Kelce added, “Let’s be honest, if he’s trying to learn a knuckleball, this has nothing to do with being a better quarterback cause nobody wants to catch that.” The elder Kelce brother then recalled having a hard time, when former Eagles QB Carson Wentz threw a ball with a “vicious spiral” that was “wobbling” in the air.

However, Travis Kelce came to his teammates’ aid. “Pat wouldn’t even think of throwing a knuckleball,” said Travis Kelce. Mahomes has 2,386 successful passes with an outstanding 66.5 completion rate, which shows the NFL star’s excellent ball control. Travis Kelce clarified that Mahomes was just fooling around to keep the mood “lighthearted.”

Well, all this started when on Wednesday during the Kansas City Chiefs’ three-day minicamp, a video of Mahomes practicing his pitching mechanics and tossing a football with the unquestionable spin—or lack thereof—of a knuckleball went viral. It turns out that Mahomes was aiming for that fastball, taking his cue from Padres right-hander Matt Waldron. “I’m trying to learn the knuckleball the Waldron dude from the Padres throws,” Mahomes wrote in a post on X.

The 27-year-old Waldron, a devoted Chiefs supporter, expressed his excitement upon discovering that Mahomes was considering his gift, stating, “It’s kind of crazy. Like I’m living in a different universe.”

Mahomes also has a history with baseball. Before leaving the sport for good in 2016, he played as a relief pitcher for Texas Tech Athletics Red Raiders. While “Showtime” is more accurate than not, there are times when Mahomes’ throws are difficult to read.

Travis Kelce’s tips to catch Patrick Mahomes’ tricky throws
In the same podcast, Travis Kelce also revealed some of Patrick Mahomes’ more tricky throws. As per the Chiefs’ TE, “You can tell sometimes how it comes off the hand that it’s gonna be just a little bit funky.” Kelce used the “timing” throws from the Chiefs’ No. 15 as an example to illustrate passes that aren’t visible coming “out of the hand” until halfway in the air. Kelce explained such throws are not easily catchable and the receiver needs to put his entire body behind the ball to gather it safely.