Patrick Mahomes brings two of his favorites together | Williams
Patrick Mahomes II is wearing all sorts of hats these days.
As the dynamic quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, the former Texas Tech football star has won Super Bowls, NFL and Super Bowl MVP awards, set records and been selected for the Pro Bowl each of the past five years. Off the field, he's raked in millions more in endorsements for adidas, Oakley and State Farm, among others.
Now he's moonlighting as head of public relations for adidas and Texas Tech athletics. OK, I just made up that part. Both sides left it to Mahomes, though, to ostensibly announce the coming partnership between your local Big 12 school and the athletic apparel giant.
On the way to his Chiefs game last Sunday, Mahomes wore a T-shirt with the Texas Tech Double T, "adidas" handwritten beneath it on what appeared to be tape, tagged both entities in a social-media post and wrote "Coming July 2024."
Not coincidentally, June 30, 2024, is when Texas Tech's agreement with Under Armour as its exclusive apparel supplier expires. That's why, other than Mahomes, the parties involved and a party not involved in Tech's next apparel contract have had the bare minimum to say about it.
Tech teams still will be wearing Under Armour gear the rest of the school year, another eight months. By appearances, Tech and adidas don't want to make an ostentatious announcement that might come across as disrespectful to Under Armour, with whom Tech has partnered for close to 20 years.
Under terms of the four-year, $12.9 million deal the two sides signed in 2020, Under Armour had the right to match the offer of any other bidder and renew on those terms. It appears adidas made an offer that Under Armour chose not to match.
Confirmation from adidas amounted to this: Pointing people to the Texas Tech/adidas shirt Mahomes sported last week and adding, "in 2024, adidas will become the official partner of Texas Tech, bringing Mahomes' alma mater into its portfolio. We'll share full details around the Texas Tech partnership soon!"
That's been about it from adidas.
Under Armour sent me the following: "We are proud to have been partners with Texas Tech since 2006 and an official apparel outfitter since 2009. We wish the Red Raiders all the best after many successful years together."
So come next summer, it'll be the dawn of a new era for the Red Raiders.
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This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Patrick Mahomes brings two of his favorites together | Williams
