Chiefs get rings, with nod to ‘Tom & Jerry’ play

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On his way to collect his third Super Bowl championship ring, Patrick Mahomes already was thinking about winning another one.

“The first thing I think of is how great last season was and the adversity we dealt with,” Mahomes said Thursday night before the Kansas City Chiefs distributed Super Bowl LVIII championship rings to players, coaches and front-office employees at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. “Then I’m going to think about how I can get another one for the pinkie finger. It’s going to take a lot of hard work (to win three straight titles). It’s never been done before for a good reason. It takes a special group of guys, and I think we’ve got that group.”

The Chiefs made more than 400 rings to distribute for this championship, their second straight and third in the past five years. Each one contains 529 diamonds, 38 rubies and 14.8 carats worth of gems, according to the rings’ maker, Jostens.

This is what greatness looks like 💍 pic.twitter.com/tZyiTjcAby

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) June 14, 2024

Among the features: a display celebrating “Tom & Jerry,” the Chiefs’ name for the play on which they scored the touchdown in overtime that allowed them to beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22. The play, on which Mahomes threw a 3-yard scoring pass to Mecole Hardman, is diagrammed on the ring in coach Andy Reid’s writing.

But, as with Mahomes, much of the night’s focus was on winning a third straight championship, something no team has been able to accomplish in the Super Bowl era.

“It’s an incredible challenge,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said. “It’s never been done in the National Football League, which tells you all you need to know about it. It’s hard to go back-to-back and from what I’ve seen they’re really eager to get started on this campaign. They believe they have a good shot at it. Obviously, you’ve got to have a lot of things go your way.

“If we can accomplish it, it will be something that will solidify this time period of Chiefs football.”

The Chiefs have had other celebrations of last season’s title, including their championship parade days after winning Super Bowl LVIII and the White House visit with President Joe Biden two weeks ago. To the Chiefs, the ring ceremony ended their 2023 season.

“Tonight’s the night,” general manager Brett Veach said. “Tonight is one of those special nights we get to sit back and watch the highlights and enjoy each other’s company and reflect on what we accomplished.”

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