Patrick Mahomes II could have spent his offseason just about anywhere Charles Mann Jersey , back home in Texas perhaps, or maybe even some exotic locale befitting a 20-something starting quarterback in the NFL.

Instead, Mahomes spent it in Kansas City.

Deeply immersed in Kansas City.

He showed up wearing his Chiefs jersey to read "Oh the Places You Will Go" to a group of children at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum. He hung out with fans at a Jason Aldean concert at the downtown Sprint Center.

He wore a cutoff jersey from the T-Bones, a local independent minor league baseball team, and a pair of jorts while attending the NASCAR race at Kansas Speedway. And he threw out the first pitch when the Royals played the New York Yankees at Kauffman Stadium.

Throw in the dozens of times fans have bumped into Mahomes at restaurants or on the street, usually documented on social media accounts, and it would be safe to call him a man about town.

"I mean, the fans come out every single week and show passion and love for us and our team and what we're doing here," Mahomes said, "so for me, I want to be back in the community, giving back. And just be a part of it http://www.washingtonredskinsteamonline.com/paul-richardson-jersey , to show the same love and passion to them."

That earnestness is refreshing in the modern NFL, where large chasms have come to separate players from fans. Rarely do the biggest stars stick around town in the offseason, and even more rarely do players willingly embrace being part of the community.

Just this week, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown bemoaned the constant attention he receives, and the fact that he can't even work out without people showing up and bothering him.

Mahomes would prefer people show up to work out with him.

The way he's embraced living in Kansas City is not unlike the way Eric Hosmer and the rest of the Royals embraced the city during their back-to-back World Series runs. They would frequently pop up at local bars and buy a round for the entire place, even celebrating among the fans during playoff triumphs.

Maybe it's something unique about Kansas City.

More likely, it's something unique about those individuals.

The way Mahomes has engrossed himself in the city hasn't been lost on the fanbase, either. He's only started one game, a Week 17 win over Denver with nothing on the line, and has yet to really prove himself as a legitimate NFL starting quarterback. But he's become one of the most popular players on the team, and his No. 15 jersey is one of the hottest sellers at local sporting goods stores.

Nor has it been lost on his teammates, who rave about the way the 22-year-old Mahomes has taken on the leadership role that Alex Smith once held Eric Kush Jersey , even though he's one of the youngest guys in the locker room.

"He's always been confident. From the time I've known him, he's been confident," said safety Eric Berry, one of the Chiefs' elder statesmen. "He's been sure of himself and he's came out and made plays, so nothing's really changed. Just now he's with the ones (starters)."

Well, that's a big change. The Chiefs have playoff aspirations this season, and whether they extend their streak of back-to-back AFC West titles will largely fall on Mahomes' shoulders.

"He's just going in there with confidence, talking with everybody, making the calls and staying on top of things," running back Kareem Hunt said. "He really wants to win and be a good quarterback."

That's the next crucial step for Mahomes: Showing he can win games.

It's one thing for Mahomes to be a man among the people, popping up all over town and snapping photos and signing autographs until every fan is content.

It's quite another to keep them happy by performing well on the field, where even the most popular players get lambasted after bad games.

Smith went 50-26 as the starter in Kansas City and many fans couldn't wait for him to leave.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid doesn't seem concerned about the pressure getting to the Chiefs' first-round pick from last year's draft. He points out that Mahomes had an entire year to learn the ropes http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/jaire-alexander-jersey , and that he has not only absorbed the Chiefs' vast playbook but broken down every nuance of it.

"He's phenomenal," Reid said. "He's got great leadership. He loves playing. He's absorbing everything and now he's just got to do it. He's got to just go practice and work through it and massage each play and see how it works against these different coverages and he's so willing. That's the part you appreciate."

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Dante Fowler expressed little concern about his one-game suspension, his shoulder injury or his future with the franchise.

The 23-year-old Fowler was equally nonchalant about the progress he seemingly made in the past year.

”Did I go to jail?” he said following the team’s first training camp practice Thursday. ”There we go.”

Fowler spoke publicly for the first time since the NFL suspended him without pay for the season opener at the New York Giants, a one-game penalty for attacking a man in a parking lot near his hometown in July 2017.

Fowler eventually pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of battery, criminal mischief and petty theft. The case was closed in March, with Fowler sentenced to a year of probation and 75 hours of community service.

The NFL handed down its punishment last week.

”We really already knew it was going to happen,” said Fowler, who will be eligible to play Week 2 against New England. ”It’s a situation that happened last year so the NFL finally took it into their hands this year. We talked and they told me what it was going to be. I just appreciate them hearing me out, hearing my side of the story. It could have always been worse, so I’m going to just take this game and be ready when we come back for the Patriots.”

The suspension will cost him $214,000.

Missing additional games could cost him even more.

The Jaguars declined to exercise the fifth-year option in Fowler’s rookie contract in May, likely meaning the third overall pick in the 2015 draft will become a free agent after this season.

A career year could mean a lucrative deal elsewhere.

”Go out there and play as best as I can every Sunday http://www.buffalobillsteamonline.com/corey-bojorquez-jersey ,” he said. ”That’s it.”

Fowler has 53 tackles and 12 sacks in two seasons. He missed his rookie year after tearing a ligament in his left knee during the first day of a rookie minicamp.

He played in every game since his return, but mostly as a backup to Pro Bowler Yannick Ngakoue. The Jags apparently don’t view Fowler in the team’s long-term plans, which is why they declined to pay him $14.2 million in 2019.

His off-filed troubles are partly to blame.

The former Florida standout was arrested last year after confronting a 55-year-old man who made a comment about his driving. St. Petersburg police said Fowler exchanged words with the man before hitting him and knocking off his glasses. Fowler then stepped on the glasses before taking the man’s grocery bag and tossing it in a lake.

Fowler also was arrested in Miami Beach in March 2016 and charged with misdemeanor counts of assault against a police officer and resisting arrest without violence. The charges were later dropped. That arrest came a little more than two weeks after a video surfaced showing Fowler refereeing a violent fight between his girlfriend and an ex-girlfriend. He also has a long list of traffic violations.

”It is something where you have to go out every day and you have to prove (yourself) until you get to a level of consistency where there is trust,” coach Doug Marrone said. ”I think it is a matter of doing the right things each and every day, and we will see how it goes.”

Fowler’s health is his biggest concern these days.

He injured his left shoulder late last season and opened camp on the physically unable to perform list. Incapable of lifting weights for part of the offseason, Fowler lost some pounds. But much like everything else, he doesn’t see it as a concern.

”Well, I’m actually big,” he said with a smile. ”I honestly think it won’t matter. It doesn’t matter. Weight does not matter with this one. I’m a straight dog. It don’t matter. Once I put on them pads, it’s a wrap. I’m just getting stronger. Coaches are looking out for me and being concerned and looking out for my health, so all I can do is just get stronger and you guys will know when I’m out there again.”

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