Last Saturday, the inaugural Fanatics Flag Football Classic took place at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. Ahead of the round-robin tournament, the assumption was that NFL stars past and present would put to rest any notion that Team USA deserved to represent the country in flag football at the LA28 Olympic Games.
Tom Brady, 48, threw his first touchdown since retiring in 2023. Odell Beckham Jr. turned back the clock for one of his vintage one-handed catches. Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels threw a dart from one end zone to the other. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith showed off their chemistry.
But overall, Team USA thoroughly dominated Brady and Hurts’ Founders FFC and Wildcats FFC, the latter quarterbacked by Daniels and Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow, to win the championship. Team USA was covered in glory, and doubt crept in about how involved NFL players should be at the 2028 Summer Olympics in L.A.
In August 2024, Team USA quarterback Darrell Doucette went viral for defending the “overlooked” Team USA flag football players. Douchette told TMZ that he believed he’s a “better quarterback than Patrick Mahomes because of my IQ of the game.” He added, “When it comes to flag football, I feel like I know more than him.”
On Monday’s episode of FS1’s First Things First, host Kevin Wildes asked Nick Wright whether his opinion was swayed on Doucette’s comments after watching the Fanatics Flag Football Classic.
“I think this is fair to say,” Wright said. “I texted Patrick when this first happened. It’s been a year. I don’t think he’ll be mad. He said back then, ‘I’m not doing flag. By then, I’ll be 32, and I’m not scrambling around all day in July.'”
Wright continued, “Patrick, please don’t be mad. I’ve never revealed any private communications, and it was out of respect to those guys. So, while people got mad at Doucette for what he said about Patrick, I think I can report Patrick was not mad at him. [Mahomes] won’t be coming for his job.”
Mahomes is focused on rehabilitating a torn ACL and LCL suffered last December and returning to the Kansas City Chiefs as soon as possible in 2026.
“I want to be ready for Week 1,” the two-time NFL MVP and three-time Super Bowl champion told reporters in January. “The doctors said I could.” Mahomes added, “I can’t predict what happens throughout the process. That’s the goal: to play Week 1 and have no restrictions. You want to be out there healthy and give us the best chance to win. I hope to do some things in OTAs and training camp and be able to do things there.”
Mahomes led the Chiefs to five out of six Super Bowls from 2019 to 2024, including three straight appearances that resulted in back-to-back championships. In 2025, the Chiefs stumbled to 6-11 - the franchise’s worst finish since 2012.
The Chiefs were 6-8 when Mahomes went down. Through 14 games, Mahomes posted career lows across the board since becoming QB1 in 2018: 3,587 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions on 62.7% completion. However, he posted a career-high 64 rushing attempts for 422 yards and five touchdowns, which made him more vulnerable to injury.
Whenever Mahomes returns, he’ll likely be on a revenge tour to prove he and the Chiefs are still the NFL’s preeminent power. There’s no time for flag football.
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