AFC Notes: Davante Adams, Mecole Hardman, Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs, Raiders

Chiefs

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes praised WR Mecole Hardman for his game-winning touchdown catch, which Hardman admitted he blacked out after and did not realize Kansas City had won the Super Bowl.

Hardman had an up-and-down season after signing with the Jets in free agency this offseason. He returned to the Chiefs prior to the deadline via trade and had some tough outings, but his persistence paid off in the game’s biggest moment. 

“I don’t know if it was so this week; I’ve played with Mecole for a long time,” Mahomes said at his press conference. “He’s always ready for the moment, and he’s someone that continues to practice hard and get better. And obviously, that receiver rotation, we were bouncing around a lot of guys all year long, and those guys just continue to work. Just like the last Super Bowl, you never know who it’s gonna be, but it’s about everybody being ready for the moment and he was he was ready for that moment in a couple big plays.”

• Ian Rapoport believes it will be an “uphill battle” for WR Kadarius Toney to return to the Chiefs next year after being a healthy scratch for the Super Bowl.

Chiefs

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes said he would love to cement his legacy by winning three Super Bowls in a row.

“Yeah, it’s legendary,” Mahomes said, via PFT. “No one’s ever done it. And we know it’s legendary to win back-to-back. … We’d heard it all week, we had talked to the guys about it, and we felt like we had the best opportunity that we’d ever had to go out and do that. I’d [fallen] short the year before. I mean, all you can do is come back with a fresh mindset, knowing it’s going to be even harder. And we’ve got to continue to play our best football. We’ll celebrate these next few weeks and then we’ll get right back at it.”

Raiders

Raiders WR Davante Adams said he is “really excited” about the hiring of Luke Getsy as offensive coordinator.

“That was a good feeling knowing a guy that I’ve worked with,” Adams said, via Paul Gutierrez. “I know how he works, I know how his mind works.”

Adams added that Getsy is an innovative and “open-minded” coach.

“I mean, innovation, [and] he’s the type of coach that’s open-minded. He’s going to be open to hearing things from the veteran players that know how this thing works and the best way to do things,” Adams said. “So a lot of different things, but just the open-mindedness and, like I said, that innovation to the offense and a good run-pass balance. And that’s what I’m used to, that West Coast style. Gonna be fun, getting to work on a new system, something that’s.”