Padres’ Matt Waldron ‘Honored’ by Patrick Mahomes Copying His Skill Despite Jason Kelce’s Disapproval of Chiefs QB’s ‘Knuckleball’

There’s nothing better than Patrick Mahomes praising you! During the Chiefs’ minicamp, Mahomes tried out something interesting – a knuckleball, inspired by Matt Waldron. Waldron is a masterful MLB pitcher, playing for San Diego Padres. His knuckleballs are a headache for the batters and Mahomes attempted to pull it off with a football in hand. It looks like the word reached the baseball star and the reaction is priceless!

“That was crazy,” said Waldron in an interview. Patrick Mahomes is a three-time Super Bowl winner and one of the best football players of this generation. Hence, Waldron was in utter disbelief at the NFL star’s imitation of him; he added, “I think it took me like three hours to realize how special it was.” The 27-year-old described the incident as an “honor” and labeled it a “pretty cool” experience. Since his MLB debut in 2023, Waldron has played 23 games and is already gaining more and more exposure after a shout-out from the QB.

On episode 97 of Jason and Travis Kelce’s ‘New Heights’ podcast, the NFL duo opined on Mahomes copying Waldron. Jason had a bold take on the matter and claimed that “nobody wants to catch” a knuckleball on a football field. But the MLB pitcher seemingly disagreed with the notion and backed ‘Showtime’ to pull it off!

Matt Waldron backs Patrick Mahomes’ knuckleball

In the same interview, Matt Waldron supported Patrick Mahomes’ attempts at a knuckleball. Throwing a knuckleball takes immense control and, according to the MLB star, if there’s anybody who can master the trick, it is the Chiefs’ QB. Waldron said, “I think I just saw him do it. So yeah… It’d be him.” While it’d be a nice addition to Mahomes’ already versatile set of skills, Travis Kelce killed the possibility of it actually happening in a regular-season match.

In the latest ‘New Heights’ podcast, Kelce claimed, “Pat wouldn’t even think of throwing a knuckleball.” As per the Chiefs’ TE, tricks such as the knuckleballs and the behind-the-back passes are fun to try out in practice to keep things “lighthearted.” But such passes become a liability on the field as they compromise the receiver’s ability to catch the ball with ease. However, the Chiefs’ No. 15 has a history of doing the impossible. In 2018, he immaculately executed a key no-look pass to Demarcus Robinson.

Only time will tell if Patrick Mahomes can add knuckleball to his repertoire. For now, he is enjoying time with his family as the 28-year-old is away on a month-long vacation. The three-time Super Bowl MVP will put his cleats back on in late July when the team reunites for practice camps before the preseason games in August. Ahead of a potentially historic season, the Chiefdom will hope their star QB is well rested – a knuckleball or two would just be the cherry on top.