KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When he was a star receiver at North Carolina in 2021 and 2022, Josh Downs remembers a prevailing mindset.
“Everybody was like, ‘Oh, I want to go play with Mahomes,’ ” he said Wednesday.
So no wonder he was ecstatic when he learned Tuesday he’d been traded from Indianapolis (2-7) to the Chiefs (6-2) with Patrick Mahomes — who with the bitter exception of last season has made the club a perennial contender through his near-decade as QB1.
“Who wouldn’t love playing with a quarterback of his caliber?” said Downs, adding that what it will mean to him “you can’t really put into words.”
Nothing against the Colts, but …
“I kind of screamed when I saw the text” about the trade, he said during his first news conference as a Chief.
Shortly after he got the word, he posted that impassioned Vince Carter gratitude GIF on social media.
As it happened, the sentiment promptly was amplified by Mahomes retweeting it with the alarm-clock emoji he likes to summon to signal the preciousness of time.
Something Mahomes further demonstrated by rapidly getting in touch with Downs, whose level of success is going to be a leading indicator of how the Chiefs’ offense goes from here.
While everybody naturally stresses the football side of the trade that figures to fill a void for the Chiefs at the expense of 2027 fourth- and fifth-round draft picks, Mahomes in his greeting messages highlighted something else.
Helping Downs get acclimated to Kansas City, he said, by “trying to point him in the right direction” and making himself a resource for Downs as much away from the field as on the field.
The typically thoughtful touch from Mahomes also comes with practical purpose:
The sooner Downs gets adjusted, the more comfortable he’ll be. And the more comfortable he is, the more apt he is to accelerate into whatever difference he can best make for the Chiefs.
Between that greeting and Down’s ongoing friendship with receiver Rashee Rice, with whom he’s trained in the past, the newest Chief appreciates how he’s being embraced.
But he understands the flip side.
“It’s good when guys welcome you and accept you,” said Downs, who midway through his fourth season has 231 career catches for 2,494 yards and 12 touchdowns and an intriguing knack for getting open.
Just the same …
“I feel like at this point it’s my turn to earn their respect on the field and earn their respect as a teammate,” he added.
There’s ample reason to figure that will take some tangible form soon. Sooner than later, anyway.
Complicated as coach Andy Reid’s offense is understood to be, Reid underscored similarities in what the Chiefs do and the Colts have done in Downs’ time in Indy. And he emphasized that general manager Brett Veach’s due diligence accounted for the essential mental feel it will take.
So when Reid said Wednesday that “you’ve got to have some aptitude … be smart and (have) some capacity there to learn quickly,” he wasn’t speaking generically.
He was speaking to what he perceives of Downs, whom Reid already had observed was “a pretty alert kid” with not just speed and quickness but the wherewithal to make space and set up routes.
Meanwhile, Mahomes will do more than his part to prime the learning curve for Downs — whose intelligence already had resonated with him after their first morning working together.
And as ever with Mahomes, it’s as much about asking as telling.
He knows what he likes and wants, for sure. But that comes with wanting to understand the sweet spots for his targets as they work to see and feel it together.
“You want to hear what he’s thinking,” Mahomes said, “what’s kind of hitting his brain the right way.”
While Reid acknowledged the chemistry and pace of development can’t be known until it’s actually happening in games, he expects “a nice fit.” Mahomes went as far as to say he figures it will be an “easy transition” for Downs.
Even considering that Xavier Worthy returned to practice Wednesday after suffering a hamstring injury Sunday against the New York Jets, Downs’ timetable will be a vital variable for the Chiefs in the weeks to come.
It sure would be nice for the Chiefs if Downs can get some traction this week at Atlanta, about 35 miles from where he grew up in Suwanee, Ga., and on Nov. 22 against the Cardinals at Arrowhead Stadium.
Because after that comes the five-week gauntlet starting at Buffalo (7-1), at the Los Angeles Rams (5-4) and at Cincinnati (6-2) before home games against the Patriots (5-4) and San Francisco (7-1).
How he performs could have an impact on how the Chiefs navigate that stretch in particular.
Heck, that notion is why they traded for him.
Most optimally, anyway, Downs will open up the intermediate game, make room for other receivers and tight end Travis Kelce, among others, and even help offset defenses loading up to stop running back Kenneth Walker III.
Most crucially, though, he’ll first have to make good on what the Chiefs’ anticipated in trading for him: that he’ll be a quick study.
Something he evidently is taking to heart.
“I don’t want to be a guy who’s asking everybody what the play is, what the formation is,” he said. “I feel like that’s when you kind of get left behind.”
The last thing he’d want now that he’s going to get to play with Mahomes, who’s already been showing Downs what that means.
“It’s a blessing,” Downs said.