What started from the “I am better than Patrick Mahomes,” comment made by the reigning MVP of the International Federation of American Flag Football, Darrell Doucette, has now become a pickle. But why did Doucette say that? See, the thing is Flag Football will debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. And this has caused stirs between the two sets of pigskin fanatics. So, a decision needs to be made on which of the two teams would represent Team USA on the grand stage. While we are on standby on that, Lamar Jackson has entered the conversation with a question.

“🤣Like we don’t know how to play flag FOOTBALL all of a sudden?” He wrote on his X, adding, “I did that @ the Boys & Girls Club.😴😴” Lamar’s response stemmed from an X account posting a highlight reel of flag football players with this caption, “NFL players aren’t pulling these flag football guys flags,” that pushed the Ravens QB to his tipping point. He quote-tweeted a post of a fan pitting his highlights against flag football players.

See, the thing is there’s no denying where the flag football players are coming from. They are the professionals of the sport and just want to represent their country, like they have been, on a much bigger stage. Let’s think of it this way: it’s their chance to gain notoriety and status. On the flip side, the NFL is a culture, and the fans need no introductions to any of the ballers or up-and-coming stars. So, from the ‘face value’ point of view, it makes sense to line up Team USA with the league stars.

That’s the kind of energy Doucette brought to the table in an interview with The Guardian on August 17th, before he made his remarks on Patrick Mahomes. He didn’t mince words, calling it “disrespectful” to assume NFL stars would just waltz onto the 2028 Los Angeles Games flag football roster. “Give the guys who helped this game get to where it’s at their respect,” he said. Can you blame him? The flag football pioneers deserve their own spotlight, right?

But hold up—NFL players aren’t just sitting on the sidelines. The pros are hungry for some Olympic gold, and Lamar Jackson might just be leading that charge. Joe Burrow? He’s already eyeing that flag football team like it’s the Super Bowl. On Pardon My Take last month, Burrow lit up at the idea, saying, “That’d be sick, wouldn’t it? I really wanna play for the flag football team. Me, Ja’Marr [Chase], Justin [Jefferson]… I think it’d be really cool.” Imagine that lineup. Who wouldn’t want to see that trio take the field?

But until the official roster drops, it’s all just speculation. Your guess is as good as ours. But one thing seems certain: Patrick Mahomes would not take up the reigns.

Patrick Mahomes might join in as a consultant for the team!

When Darrell Doucette called out Patrick Mahomes on social media, questioning his “IQ of the game,” Mahomes didn’t fire back with a lengthy response. Instead, he let a single GIF do the talking—a classic 50 Cent meme where the rapper says, “I’m like what he say f*ck me for?” Without uttering a word, Mahomes made it clear he wasn’t taking the bait. But when the time did come to use words, Mahomes set the record straight in his own way.

“There’s the want to,” Mahomes admitted about joining the flag football team, but added, “I just don’t know if my skill set is what is required for flag football.” With the LA Olympics set for when he’ll be in his 30s, Mahomes pointed out, “It’s a lot of scrambling at the QB position. It’s not just sitting there throwing.” Translation? Don’t expect to see Mahomes suiting up for the flag football squad. Maybe he’s on the same page as Doucette after all—or maybe he’s just keeping his options open. Coaching, anyone?

In true Mahomes fashion, he didn’t close the door entirely. “You get a gold medal for being a coach?” he joked, but quickly shifted gears, adding, “Like, maybe, be like a consultant for the team.” So while we might not see him as QB1, don’t be surprised if Mahomes is still making plays—just from the sidelines. Could this be the beginning of a new chapter for Mahomes? Only time will tell. But for now, his focus is on 2024 and completing that unprecedented 3-peat. 2028 can wait but not 2025, the season’s already about to kick off.

Until the hunt for the 3-peat starts, you can listen in to Chris Gronkowski’s journey as the Gronk joined us on our Dual Threat Podcast with BG12.