Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes: Kicker Justin Tucker trying to ‘get under our skin’ with pregame setup

By Kevin Patra, Around the NFL Writer

Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker dismissed the pregame scuttlebutt with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce ahead of the AFC Championship Game. Mahomes, however, has a different view of how events unfolded.

The star quarterback said Tuesday on 610 Sports Radio in Kansas City that the Ravens kicker was trying to “get under our skin.”

“I’ve had seven years of doing that same warmup routine, and there’s only been like three occasions where there’s been a kicker that wasn’t … moving out of the way,” Mahomes said, via ESPN. “It was in Baltimore all three times.”

The hubbub started well before the contest started when all three players were warming up — Tucker on the Chiefs’ side of the field. The K.C. players were then seen booting the kicker’s equipment out of the way.

Tucker said on Monday that it’s just part of his pregame routine, suggesting he meant no harm, calling it “kind of silly.”

Mahomes clearly didn’t believe that excuse.

“He does that to get under our skin,” Mahomes said of Tucker. “I asked him to move his stuff, and he got up and moved it, I think, two inches but didn’t move it out of the way. I was going to let it slide but Travis moved it for me and after that I wasn’t going to let him put it back down.

“I have a lot of respect for him as a player and as a kicker. He’s one of the best kickers of all time, probably the best kicker of all time. At the same time, you’ve got to have respect for each team. We all share the field and we try to do that in a respectful way.”

Kelce echoed his quarterback’s sentiment when discussing the incident with his brother, Jason, on this week’s In The Heights episode.

“If you want to be a f—ing d— about it, you keep your helmet and your football and your f—ing kicking tee right where the quarterbacks are warming up,” Kelce said, via ESPN. “If you’re not going to pick that up, I’ll happily move that for you.”