One day removed from leading the Kansas City Chiefs on a Super Bowl comeback, Patrick Mahomes said he would savour the victory for a couple of weeks, before turning his focus to mounting another championship run.
Mahomes, 24, became the youngest quarterback named Most Valuable Player of a Super Bowl, after he led the Chiefs on three touchdown drives in the final six minutes of a 31-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Despite achieving the pinnacle of success in his sport just three seasons into his NFL career, Mahomes is anything but complacent and intends to be back at work very soon.
"I am going to enjoy it for a couple of weeks, but knowing that the mindset of we’re going to get back grinding this offseason, go back in and try to do more stuff," Mahomes said on Tuesday (NZ time), during the Super Bowl MVP news conference.
"We know that everybody is going to be gunning for us, and we are going to have to go out there and try to win games next year, and be back here and hopefully back on this stage."
Making his debut on the NFL’s biggest stage, Mahomes was statistically having the worst game of his young career, as his team was bottled up by the stingy San Francisco defence through three quarters, until coming alive when it mattered most.
The 49ers, who came into the game looking to snap a 25-year championship drought, began the fourth quarter with a 20-10 lead.
But their vaunted defence simply had no answer as the Chiefs’ high-octane offence finally found its gear, en route to ending a 50-year title drought of their own.
Mahomes, who the Chiefs selected 10th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, finished the game with 26 of 42 passes completed for 286 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
He also ran for a touchdown.
Labelled the new face of the NFL, Mahomes is due for a contract extension this offseason and is undoubtedly in line for a major payday, but he stressed negotiations will not get in the way of his preparations for the 2020 season
"That’s stuff that’s handled with other people,” said Mahomes. "Obviously, I want to be in Kansas City for a long time, I understand that.
"Also, I want to win a lot of football games here.”
Mahomes was named the MVP of the 2018 regular season and overcame a knee injury earlier this season to top that with a Super Bowl triumph.
Asked what he could do to top his latest achievements, Mahomes was quick to offer an answer.
"Win another one. That’s it."
