NFL offseason content reaches new low with Patrick Mahomes retirement chatter

The NFL has not left many quiet moments in the offseason. Attention shifts to the following season before the Super Bowl confetti is even cleaned up. There's a coaching carousel and early roster cuts. The NFL Scouting Combine serves simulataneously as a talent showcase for prospects and gossip mill for teams. Free agency brings a flurry of roster moves, while the annual owners meeting brings new rules. Then, of course, there's the offseason's greatest spectacle: the NFL Draft, which is surrounded by speculation, debates, and trades.

But following mandatory minicamp, there's a rare lull in the schedule. It's the quiet part of the year before training camp, before the crunching sound of pads and helmets, the violent collisions, and the deafening roar of full stadiums.

PFT speculates about Patrick Mahomes' retirement with Coors Light ad and old comments

It's difficult to spin stories when nothing is happening, and sometimes, the media gets desperate, and odd things begin to happen. Consider, as an example, ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio using a Coors Light ad and old comments to speculate about when Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will retire.

"As he gets closer to 30, the questions about how long he’ll play are inevitable," Florio wrote. "They’re inevitable for two other reasons. First, the latest Mahomes ad for Coors Light ... says that the commercial will be put in a time capsule until Mahomes retires. So when will that be? Will he pull a Tom Brady and play until he’s 45?"

Mahomes is 28 years old and coming off of his third Super Bowl championship in just six years. Right now, retirement is too far beyond the horizon to see.

"That leads to the second reason," Florio continued. "Mahomes' mother recently suggested in a podcast appearance that Patrick might not stick around until he's [45]."

The mother of the Chiefs quarterback, Randi Mahomes, recently stated that she was proud of her son for saying his children would dictate how long he played football. Mahomes made those comments during a TIME interview in April while discussing Tom Brady's longevity.

In the interview, Mahomes was hesitant to say he'd want to play into his mid-40s. At this point, he isn't even 30 years old.

"I’ve looked, if I played until Tom [Brady]’s age, my daughter would be 19, 20 years old," Mahomes said. "I would love to play that long. At the same time, I want to be there for my daughter. If I can do that, I’ll continue to play. But if I feel like it’s taking away from my family time, that’s when I’ll know it’s time to go.

"Tom’s skewed people’s brains on how hard that is to do because of how well he took care of his body," Mahomes said. "So I’m about to make sure that I get rid of this dad bod if I want to play to 45."

The decision may not even be in Mahomes' hands. A lot can change in the decade ahead, regardless of whether it results in a shorter or longer career for Mahomes.