Patrick Mahomes butters up opposing defenders so they won't hit him as hard

• Patrick Mahomes is one of the best quarterbacks at escaping pressure from opposing defenses.
• But even the Kansas City Chiefs' two-time NFL MVP takes a hit from time to time.
• Mahomes says he compliments rushers to avoid getting hit "as hard" as he might otherwise.

Patrick Mahomes has a unique approach to avoiding big hits during football games.

He praises opposing defenders.

In an episode of the Netflix docu-series "Quarterback," the superstar Kansas City Chiefs quarterback revealed that he's "a big compliment guy." Whenever a rusher approaches him in the pocket, Mahomes will offer him a "Hey, great rush, dude" at the end of the play.

He hopes such comments will dissuade linebackers, defensive ends, and any other foes barreling into the pocket from tackling him at full force.

"I've always said that I wanna make sure those guys like me," Mahomes says. "They have the decision, if it's consciously or subconsciously, to finish those hits. And I feel like if those guys like me, they won't finish them as hard."

"Quarterback" then launches into a montage of on-field interactions between Mahomes and various opposing defenders.

"Good rush, 9-9," the two-time MVP says as the 280-pound Aaron Donald approaches.

"Good rush, big dawg," he tells 49ers defensive end Kerry Hyder Jr. from the ground after a tackle from behind. "Good rush."

"Good play, big dawg," Mahomes says as he pats Jaguars defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris on his helmet. "Come on."

"That's a good-ass hit, though!" he tells five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman.

"Appreciate you, dawg," Mahomes says with a slap on the back after Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner pulled back on a tackle along the sideline.

And on they go.

Mahomes says the compliments are genuine. He has "a ton of respect for those guys" for always "playing their tail off, trying to get me at all costs."

But he's also, obviously, trying to gain any advantage he possibly can. The two-time Super Bowl champion knows that quarterbacks are "in an exposed position" when trying to connect passes from the pocket.

And in a sport where one bad hit can end your season — or even your career — any and all added protection is welcome as far as Mahomes is concerned.

Despite all the "bumps and bruises" he picks up over the course of a season, Mahomes confirms at the end of the episode that it's all worth it for the ultimate prize:

"The goal is a Super Bowl; you have to maximize every opportunity," he says. "You have to lay it all on the line, and that's why I put my body out there every time."