Mahomes’ announcement about his ambition made headlines at the time, and other members of NFL’s top brass have equally followed suit in declaring their intentions

Tyreek Hill, Micah Parsons and Mike Evans are among the players who have explicitly expressed a desire to suit up for Team USA, and few have forgotten how Philadelphia Eagles quarterback famously launched the handover from Paris 2024 to Los Angeles 2028 after igniting the LA Coliseum torch with a flaming football.

How NFL players might be integrated into the U.S. Olympic team remains to be ironed out, not least as the Games are set to take place when league preseason typically begins. There is also already an existing national flag football team – and a successful one at that, with the U.S. men owning six world titles.

But the blueprint for Mahomes on how to successfully step into a new Olympic discipline – where there are far fewer players and a much smaller field – is arguably already available, with rugby superstar Antoine Dupont an example of making the transition between two similar codes after switching from 15s to sevens in time for the Paris Olympics.

There were some raised eyebrows at the 28-year-old’s wishes to be in the Olympic team given the nuances between the two sports, but, with the support from his domestic club and national teams, Dupont made the leap.

Any lingering doubts about his readiness were then duly silenced when he came off the bench in the Olympic final to score two tries and set up a third, ensuring that France won the gold, dethroning the two-time reigning gold medallists Fiji in the process.

The opportunity, too, for the NFL to have its NBA “Dream Team” moment also looms large.

Hurts, in the buildup to the Super Bowl 2025, spoke of wanting the opportunity to bid for a coveted Olympic gold medal and the prospect of doing it alongside other NFL giant as just the US men’s basketball team first did in Barcelona 1992 with hoop icons Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, still dominates the public consciousness when it comes to the Games.

Could Mahomes be the one to lead flag football’s own ‘Dream Team’ at LA28?

Lots of fans would certainly love to see it.