{"id":180979,"date":"2026-04-28T02:00:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T02:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180979"},"modified":"2026-04-28T02:00:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T02:00:26","slug":"breaking-just-12-hours-before-standout-oklahoma-edge-r-mason-thomas-shockingly-called-the-chiefs-his-most-hated-nfl-team-then-kansas-city-drafted-him-in-2026-creating-an-awkward-moment-no","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180979","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: Just 12 Hours Before, Standout Oklahoma EDGE R Mason Thomas Shockingly Called the Chiefs His Most Hated NFL Team \u2014 Then Kansas City Drafted Him in 2026, Creating an Awkward Moment No One Expected&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"jsx-ff257645ce79316a trend-article-content\">\n<div class=\"article-content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"article-main-content [&amp;_p]:leading-[1.75] [&amp;_li]:leading-[1.75] [&amp;_blockquote]:leading-[1.75]\">\n<div class=\"article-paragraph mb-[10px]\">\n<p>Kansas City, Missouri \u2013 The 2026 NFL Draft delivered one of the most unbelievable moments, leaving fans across the league stunned and talking nonstop.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paragraph mb-[10px]\">\n<p>Just 12 hours before hearing his name called, R Mason Thomas \u2014 the standout edge rusher from Oklahoma \u2014 made headlines with a surprising statement on social media.<\/p>\n<div class=\"w-full overflow-hidden py-4\">\n<div class=\"w-full\">\n<div id=\"hotnews.boonovel.com_responsive_3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paragraph mb-[10px]\">\n<p><span class=\"article-image-wrapper my-4 block\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" mx-auto\" src=\"http:\/\/cdn.smarttraffic.today\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=600,height=400,quality=85,fit=cover\/2026-04-27\/695-e90322e2-15a5-4a0a-a0dd-e1343e015f43.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paragraph mb-[10px]\">\n<p>In a brief interview, Thomas openly shared which NFL team he had the strongest feelings about growing up.<\/p>\n<div class=\"w-full overflow-hidden py-4\">\n<div class=\"w-full\">\n<div id=\"hotnews.boonovel.com_responsive_4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paragraph mb-[10px]\">\n<p>What shocked everyone was that the team he mentioned was the Kansas City Chiefs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paragraph mb-[10px]\">\n<p>A franchise with recent dynasty success, multiple Super Bowl appearances, and one of the most passionate fanbases in the entire NFL.<\/p>\n<div class=\"w-full overflow-hidden py-4\">\n<div class=\"w-full\">\n<div id=\"hotnews.boonovel.com_responsive_5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paragraph mb-[10px]\">\n<p>But for Thomas, the Chiefs were never the team he dreamed of playing for as a kid.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paragraph mb-[10px]\">\n<p>Instead, he grew up loving the Denver Broncos \u2014 a longtime rival of Kansas City in the AFC West.<\/p>\n<div class=\"w-full overflow-hidden py-4\">\n<div class=\"w-full\">\n<div id=\"hotnews.boonovel.com_responsive_6\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paragraph mb-[10px]\">\n<p>Because of that, the Chiefs were always the team he watched with completely different emotions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paragraph mb-[10px]\">\n<p>The fierce rivalry between the two teams had been embedded in Thomas\u2019s mindset since his earliest days following the NFL, especially as a Florida native from Fort Lauderdale who lived and breathed Broncos football his whole life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paragraph mb-[10px]\">\n<p>No one expected that just hours later, fate would send him directly to the very team he once viewed as his biggest rival.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paragraph mb-[10px]\">\n<p>When the Kansas City Chiefs used the No. 40 overall pick in the 2026 Draft to select R Mason Thomas, the entire room erupted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paragraph mb-[10px]\">\n<p>The moment he put on the Chiefs cap quickly became one of the most viral images of the day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paragraph mb-[10px]\">\n<p><span class=\"article-image-wrapper my-4 block\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" mx-auto\" src=\"http:\/\/cdn.smarttraffic.today\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=500,height=625,quality=85,fit=cover\/2026-04-27\/695-e6879573-db4b-4d77-800a-0a6a4d149b10.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"625\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paragraph mb-[10px]\">\n<p>Not only fans, but even his own family couldn\u2019t hide their surprise, laughing at the irony of the situation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paragraph mb-[10px]\">\n<p>Speaking to the media afterward, Thomas shared his honest feelings in a moment he will never forget.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paragraph mb-[10px]\">\n<p><em>\u201cIt\u2019s hard to explain this feeling. I spent my entire childhood rooting against the Chiefs, and now I\u2019m wearing their colors. But sometimes, the things you least expect end up becoming the place you truly belong.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paragraph mb-[10px]\">\n<p>The quote immediately spread across social media, resonating deeply with fans on both sides.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paragraph mb-[10px]\">\n<p>Some saw it as rare honesty, while others viewed it as the beginning of a fascinating new journey.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paragraph mb-[10px]\">\n<p>For the Chiefs, landing a young, explosive edge rusher with Thomas\u2019s potential is a major step toward the future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paragraph mb-[10px]\">\n<p>For Thomas himself, this could be the opportunity to rewrite his story in a city and with a team he once saw as the enemy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paragraph mb-[10px]\">\n<p>In the NFL, stories like this always carry a unique appeal, where emotion and destiny collide.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paragraph \">\n<p>And for Kansas City, R Mason Thomas\u2019s journey may just be beginning \u2014 but it has already captured the attention of the entire city.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"jsx-ff257645ce79316a mt-8 mb-10\"><\/div>\n<div class=\" \">\n<div class=\"mb-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kansas City, Missouri \u2013 The 2026 NFL Draft delivered one of the most unbelievable moments, leaving fans across the league stunned and talking nonstop. Just 12 hours&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":180984,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-180979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>BREAKING: Just 12 Hours Before, Standout Oklahoma EDGE R Mason Thomas Shockingly Called the Chiefs His Most Hated NFL Team \u2014 Then Kansas City Drafted Him in 2026, Creating an Awkward Moment No One Expected... - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180979\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING: Just 12 Hours Before, Standout Oklahoma EDGE R Mason Thomas Shockingly Called the Chiefs His Most Hated NFL Team \u2014 Then Kansas City Drafted Him in 2026, Creating an Awkward Moment No One Expected... - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kansas City, Missouri \u2013 The 2026 NFL Draft delivered one of the most unbelievable moments, leaving fans across the league stunned and talking nonstop. 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