Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration was different this year. Did it have a deeper meaning?

Jesse Newell
·3 min read
1

The Kansas City Chiefs celebrated their Super Bowl victory on Sunday in a different way than a season ago:

With a lot of smoke.

While the Chiefs had plenty going on in the locker room following last year’s Super Bowl win over the Philadelphia Eagles, there wasn’t much in the way of cigars.

That changed this season. Dozens of Chiefs players and coaches lit up Sunday, with the fog hanging heavy in the air as reporters made their way through the madness.

Because of recent events, it’s at least worth exploring the question: Did the gesture have a greater meaning, especially given that it took place in the Las Vegas Raiders’ locker room?

This would be the previous context: The Raiders defeated the Chiefs 20-14 on Christmas Day in Kansas City. And afterward, in KC’s visiting locker room, Raiders star Maxx Crosby (along with some teammates) celebrated by puffing on cigars while dancing to music by rapper “Chief Keef”; Crosby posted the live video on social media.

(Warning: The video below contains explicit language.)

Coincidence or not, Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill posted a similar-looking video on X (formerly Twitter) shortly after Sunday’s Super Bowl win. With music blaring in the background, Tranquill holds a cigar, moving his hands and head similarly to what Crosby did seven weeks ago.

Remember, the Chiefs’ smoky activities Sunday all took place in the Raiders’ actual locker room at Allegiant Stadium.

It wouldn’t be the first time the Raiders have agitated the Chiefs based on their actions in Kansas City.

In 2020, after a 40-32 road win over the Chiefs, then-Raiders coach Jon Gruden took his players on a victory lap around the stadium in the team bus. A few days later, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, “That’s not our style,” when asked about that particular celebratory act.

The next year, when the Chiefs won 48-9 at home, the team played “Wheels on the Bus” over the stadium PA as the Raiders left the field.

Publicly, Reid was effusive last week in his praise for the Raiders’ practice facility, where the Chiefs had workouts ahead of the Super Bowl.

“They did this the right way,” Reid said in a pool report Feb. 7. “It’s roomy. They’re not going to outgrow it in a year or two.

“I never thought I’d be practicing here. I’m not sure that they’re the happiest about it. We’re trying to take as good a care of it as we possibly can. We respect what they’ve got here. This is beautiful.”

Regarding Sunday’s cigars ... KC’s equipment managers potentially could have been the ones to bring and distribute them. And to be clear: It’s not out of the ordinary for people to celebrate big life accomplishments in this specific way.

This still was a change from last year, though.

Meaning it at least raises one possibility: that the Chiefs’ revelry had an undertone following Sunday’s big win.