The Kansas City Chiefs are set to take on the Dallas Cowboys in a Thanksgiving showdown, but it’s the first-ever game on the holiday for Patrick Mahomes. That alone should make the week special. But the Chiefs’ quarterback just added something extra to the holiday with a headline-making business move.

In a recent Instagram post, Adidas rolled out a Thanksgiving-themed ad featuring Patrick Mahomes. In the ad, Mahomes sits at a decorated dining table filled with turkey, mashed potatoes, and other classic Thanksgiving dishes. But then he did something only Mahomes seems brave enough to do. He reached for ketchup, and he squeezed it right on top of his turkey.

The Adidas ad opened with the Chiefs’ QB in a full black Adidas outfit sitting at a table with food and candles. The ad first showed him wiping his mouth with a white napkin, then setting it down. He then looked straight into the camera and talked calmly about Thanksgiving.

“Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks,” said Mahomes. “Return home, see family, and meet new friends.” 

Then the ad cut to a shot of Patrick Mahomes wearing his Chiefs helmet. Moments later, it returned to the dinner table, where he grabbed the ketchup bottle. That’s when he made the controversial decision to squeeze the ketchup on top of the turkey to drop another line.

“Thanksgiving is a time to eat,” said Mahomes in a very serious tone.

Then, as the 30-year-old dug into the food with a fork, the candles blew out, and the ad ended. The screen turned black with the message “Happy Thanksgiving,” along with the Adidas logo. 

Adidas then captioned the video, “Nothing like returning home for the holidays 😌 @patrickmahomes.”

The timing of the commercial is noteworthy. Adidas recently announced that Patrick Mahomes has agreed to a multi-year contract extension with the $32 billion brand. He will continue as the face of Adidas US Football and stay in the global lineup alongside soccer stars like Lionel Messi. Interestingly, Mahomes will also launch a new golf line through Adidas. 

However, what really turned everyone’s head was this ad. Patrick Mahomes’ decision to put ketchup on turkey in the Adidas advertisement isn’t random either. He has loved ketchup since childhood. Hunt’s ketchup once gave him a full endorsement deal because of it. Many fans know Mahomes still fully embraces his ketchup-loving identity. During training camp this year, he happily signed ketchup bottles for fans.

He even hyped them up, asking, “Are you a ketchup guy, too?” 

So, should anyone really be shocked to see Patrick Mahomes put ketchup on turkey? Maybe not. But with the Chiefs’ Thanksgiving game just a day away, it just gave fans one more talking point before kickoff.

Fans react to Patrick Mahomes’ choice in Thanksgiving ad

Patrick Mahomes has always loved ketchup, but pouring it on turkey? That struck a nerve. Many fans headed straight to the comments to share their disbelief.

One fan asked, “Bro, ketchup on the turkey? 😂 Come on, man.” 

The Chiefs’ QB has never hidden his ketchup obsession. He grew up eating ketchup sandwiches – just bread and ketchup. He even wrote in his biography that his love for the condiment hasn’t faded. Still, fans insisted that he should’ve poured gravy instead of ketchup on the turkey.

“Did he just put ketchup on the turkey?” another fan commented in bewilderment. “No, my guy. Gravy… like brown gravy (clarifying for the Italians) OMG!!!!”

Some fans couldn’t get over how the turkey looked. And honestly, who hasn’t complained about dry turkey before? But ketchup as the fix stood out as a terrible idea to many fans. 

“Did he actually put KETCHUP on that dry -@$$ turkey???😮😮😮😮😮,” wrote one fan in amazement. 

But Patrick Mahomes has also admitted to putting ketchup on steak, turkey, and even ham. That revelation back in 2019 already caused controversy. This new ad simply reignited the debate. Yet not all reactions were negative. Some supporters focused on the bigger picture. 

“I don’t know about the ketchup, Pat, but I know we’ve got to win tomorrow! Let’s go Chiefs!!! 😍,” one fan wrote.

The Chiefs will enter the Thanksgiving game at 6-5 after a strong win over the Indianapolis Colts. Patrick Mahomes threw for 352 yards in this game. So ketchup aside, he’s heading into the Cowboys matchup with momentum. His taking on the Cowboys will no doubt deliver when it comes to entertainment.