Chiefs QB responds to Kermit the Frog puppet at Raiders camp

COSTA MESA, Calif. — Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes responded Friday to a viral video of a Raiders rookie playing with a puppet that poked fun at the three-time Super Bowl MVP.

“It’s early in the year, and stuff like that happens,” said Mahomes, whose voice often has been compared to that of the popular Muppet character. “It will get handled when it gets handled.”

A fan tossed a Kermit the Frog puppet dressed as Mahomes onto the practice field in an area where rookie safety Trey Taylor was signing autographs and interacting with fans after Thursday’s practice at Jack Hammett Sports Complex.

Taylor picked up the puppet and put it on his hand, drawing laughs from the crowd.

A video of the interaction quickly went viral and wasn’t received with as much humor from Chiefs fans and Mahomes’ camp.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid had a witty response when asked about it by a CBS reporter.

“We don’t spend a lot of time here with puppets,” he said. “We try to do our work and try to get better. That’s the important thing.”

Bobby Stroupe, Mahomes’ longtime personal trainer, reposted the video on social media.

“We will remember,” Stroupe wrote.

Mahomes expressed a similar sentiment when asked about the situation Friday, but he insisted he doesn’t need extra motivation.

“Everybody just lets me play, honestly,” he said when asked about how many people passed along the clip to help fuel his fire. “They know how I am. They don’t need to send me anything to keep me motivated.”

Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said Friday he had handled the situation internally with his team.

“We addressed it as a team yesterday, and we nipped it in the bud,” he said. “It’s over with.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.