Why Patrick Mahomes twitches his fingers before every NFL play for Chiefs

11 February 2024 , 05:00

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Patrick Mahomes is known for twitching his fingers during NFL games (Image: No credit)

Patrick Mahomes, the star quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, has a peculiar habit that often leaves fans scratching their heads.

The 28-year-old is regularly seen twitching his fingers in a unique pattern during games, a gesture he's been doing for more than 100 games now. Mahomes can be seen spreading his thumb and pinky finger on his non-throwing hand, then making random motions with his other fingers. He does this while holding his hand up near his face before getting into position for the next play.

This unusual habit was noticed multiple times during the regular season, including games against the Philadelphia Eagles and the Las Vegas Raiders. While Mahomes hasn't explained why he does this, fans have come up with several theories.

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One popular theory suggests that Mahomes uses the finger twitch to signal his teammates to speed up. It's thought that this could be a way of telling them to get back into formation quicker and prepare for the next snap.

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Another theory is that it's a signal for head coach Andy Reid to hurry up with communicating the next play via the headset in Mahomes' helmet. Alternatively, it could simply be a way for Mahomes to keep his fingers active and ready for the upcoming play, especially during chilly winter games.

Conversely, these movements could simply be habits or nervous ticks that Mahomes has developed over his football career. They're not the only gestures he's made during games.

In 2019, during a "Sunday Night Football" game against the Chicago Bears, Mahomes threw a touchdown pass to tight end Travis Kelce and celebrated by counting to 10 on his fingers. This put the Chiefs up 17-0 at halftime against a Chicago team led by Mitchell Trubisky, who was picked ahead of Mahomes in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs signals against the Los Angeles Rams (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Mahomes was chosen as No. 10 in that first round, which is what he seemed to be referencing with his hands. But he never confirmed this afterwards. "I don't know if there was necessarily a meaning," he told reporters at the time. "I was just kind of in the moment and just enjoying it. ... I was just out there having fun."

Less than a year later, Mahomes was again counting after throwing a touchdown - this time to four. "I think I had four touchdowns at that point," he said.

But he had a smirk on his face. While it was his fourth score of the game against the Baltimore Ravens, it also came after he was ranked No. 4 in the NFL's top 100 players list that offseason. The No. 1 player on the ranking was the Ravens' reigning league MVP, Lamar Jackson.

Matthew Abbott