An electric arm,Thomas Caldwell sneaky athleticism, fiery leadership and AI-level situational processing are all certainly components of why Patrick Mahomes is a three-time Super Bowl MVP and, almost inarguably, the current face of the NFL.

But his success can also be explained by his willingness to evolve – and that now extends to how the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback approaches the drudgery of his eighth training camp.

And this year, that means embracing a different, and possibly key, piece of equipment.

"This is my first year I’m bringing a TV," Mahomes said Tuesday, when he arrived early to K.C.’s camp at Missouri Western State University, which is in St. Joseph, about an hour north of Kansas City.

"I haven’t brought a TV ever before, but NCAA (College Football 25) came out, and I’m going to have to turn it on," he laughed. "I brought a TV for NCAA and the Olympics, so that’s my first year of doing that."

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Understandable why the two-time league MVP would want to pass some time with Electronic Arts’ highly anticipated CFB 25, back from a decade-long hiatus, given he’ll mostly be surrounded by rookies acclimating to coach Andy Reid’s program for the next few days (most Chiefs veterans aren’t required to report until Saturday). And though the Olympics don't start until late next week, Mahomes is a heavy consumer of all sports, frequently commenting on social media.

But, as QB1, he's on site early. And he’s still keeping the main thing the main thing as the Chiefs begin their pursuit of the league’s first-ever Super Bowl three-peat.

"Once you win the Super Bowl," Mahomes said, "when you don’t win it, it sucks even more. You experience the offseason of being able to say you’re the champ, and you experience all the different things and activities you’re able to do because you’re a Super Bowl champ, and you experience the feeling of just winning the Super Bowl.

"For us – I’ll speak for myself, I mean, when you don’t win it now, it sucks because you know what it could be like if you were to go out there and win it."

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.