Patrick Mahomes Comments on Chiefs’ Decision to Sign Banished Kicker Justin Tucker

Patrick Mahomes; Justin TuckerCredit: Alex Pantling - FIFA/FIFA via Getty; Sam Hodde/GettyNEED TO KNOWPatrick Mahomes addressed the Chiefs signing shunned kicker Justin Tucker, who was involved in a squabble with the quarterback and Travis Kelce in 2024 and suspended for misconduct last seasonMahomes said he has not had “a lot of conversations with” Tucker Tucker was accused of sexual misconduct by more than a dozen womenPatrick Mahomes addressed the Chiefs signing shunned kicker Justin Tucker, who has not played in the NFL since serving a suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.Tucker, 36, was suspended without pay for 10 games last season amid sexual misconduct allegations made by more than a dozen women. The Chiefs are the first team to offer him a contract since his suspension.The kicker has a history with Mahomes, 30, going back to a squabble in January 2024 when Chiefs star Travis Kelce grew frustrated with Tucker, then playing for the Baltimore Ravens, for leaving his equipment on the field as Mahomes was warming up before their playoff matchup and kicked Tucker’s footballs into the stands.On Wednesday, Oct. 28, Mahomes was asked where his relationship with Tucker stands now that they’re teammates. Mahomes said he and Tucker “haven’t had a lot of conversations because he was obviously on the Ravens and I was on the Chiefs,” but said there’s no tension between them.Justin Tucker on June 10, 2019Credit: Rob Carr/Getty“It wasn’t like we had any beef or anything. I think at that moment, it was just competitors being competitors. It was a big moment for everybody’s career, you’re playing the AFC Championship game, and he’s been a big time kicker for a long time,” Mahomes said.“We wanted to go out there and win, and that stuff happened, but then you move on from that,” the quarterback continued. “At the end of the day, you’re just playing a game, and you want to compete and you want to win, but it wasn’t like we had some longstanding beef that carried over after the game.”When specifically asked for his reaction to the Chiefs adding Tucker to the team, Mahomes offered a vague reply. “I mean, we have a lot of people that have been kinda added in or out,” he said, adding, “I try not to get too high or too low on anything.”Follow your favorite athletes on and off the field with PEOPLE’s free sports newsletter — sign up now!Mahomes said he’s confident the Chiefs “do a great job of bringing great players in,” before turning the conversation to the Chiefs’ next matchup against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Nov. 1. “We have a lot of stuff that we have to clean up...I think that’s the biggest thing for us, is trying to clean up before this big game that we have.”Tucker was signed after kicker Harrison Butker missed two key field goals in a 20-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Oct. 25.In addition to Mahomes, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid addressed the team’s signing of Tucker. “Yeah, so, he’s done his suspension, you know. Took care of that business there,” Reid, 68, said. “I’ll leave it at that for you.”Read the original article on People