Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton is a big-time player. A winner in back-to-back Super Bowls, Bolton shows up when it matters most. He returned a fumble for a touchdown in Super Bowl LVII and had a game-high 13 tackles in the Chiefs’ latest Lombardi triumph (LVIII) over the San Francisco 49ers. He’s now eyeing a career-best season amid a fate-deciding contract year.
Bolton recently spoke exclusively with The Draft Network while discussing his partnership with Campbell's and their new Chunky Spicy Nashville-Style Hot Chicken Soup. Bolton discussed why it makes for a perfect post-workout meal, his health after missing significant action last season, his contract status, and more.
JM: Campbell's recently launched the new Chunky Spicy Nashville-Style Hot Chicken Soup. It has 13 grams of protein and is seasoned with delicious spices to bring that authentic Southern heat! What was your initial reaction to tasting the soup for the first time?
Nick Bolton: I’m a big spicy chicken noodle soup lover, so it’s perfect for me (laughs). Campbell’s does a great job implementing new ingredients and flavors to these recipes. They understand demographics and Nashville-style chicken is so popular right now. I’m going to grab a bowl right after this call (laughs).
It makes for a great post-workout meal as you said. When I’m fresh off a training session, it makes for a nice little healthy option. It’s not dense or anything so I don’t have to worry about bloating. It’s a great opportunity to get some protein and good carbs in. Soup is great for your overall health, so I’m a big fan. It has all the essential nutritional value.
JM: You won your second Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs this past season. You're a big-moment player. You returned a fumble for a TD against the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII, and you had a game-high 13 tackles in Super Bowl LVIII. What is it about your game that allows you to step up in big moments?
Nick Bolton: I give the glory to God first and foremost. After that, it’s all about my teammates and my coaches. They’re the ones that put me in positions to make those plays. The game slows down for me, especially when you have two weeks to prepare for the Super Bowl.
It’s just about going out there and executing. Those are some of the things I’ve always been great at. I’m continuing to build momentum throughout this offseason. When the play comes to me, I know what the assignment is. Coach Spagnuolo always tells me that the plays will come to me if I play a disciplined brand of football.
I don’t have to go chasing plays. I embody that. I’m in the right place at the right time to make those routine plays. The tackles start to come. I’d say 10 of my tackles in the Super Bowl were probably routine plays.
JM: You do a great job of that. It was a great performance, especially because a dislocated wrist cost you more than half of the 2023 regular season. How are you feeling from a health perspective now?
Nick Bolton: It’s a complete 180 compared to how I felt throughout the season. I’ve had a little extra time to recover. I was fortunate to miss half of a season, and still play in, and win, a Super Bowl. Things worked out that way.
I did a great job rehabbing my wrist as soon as our season ended. I’m able to use two hands again (laughs). It actually feels a little foreign to me. Being able to use both hands again is going to help me in coverage. I left some plays on the field because I couldn’t catch the ball with two hands comfortably.
I’m excited to use my hands again. I was able to get back to playing quality football for our defense in time to win a Super Bowl. I’m excited for the 2024 campaign. I’m healthy again.
JM: You're entering a contract season in 2024. It’s the fourth year of your rookie deal, one that you’ve outperformed. Are you hoping to negotiate an extension before the season?
Nick Bolton: Honestly, no, I don’t want to talk extension before training camp. I just want to focus on getting through this season. We have one goal in mind right now, and that’s being the first team to ever win three Super Bowls in a row. That’s our mindset.
I’ll let my contract handle itself after our season. I want to just go out there and play the best football I can play. I’m hoping at the end of the year, we can say we’re the first team ever to win three in a row.
JM: You’re doing a great job blocking out the outside noise, but what's your mindset going into the campaign, knowing what's at stake from a financial perspective?
Nick Bolton: It just adds motivation to my mindset. We all work our butts off our entire lives to make it to the NFL. Once you get there, it starts being about that second contract. It just adds extra motivation for me to go out there and be who I am.
I’m not going to change who I am and what I do. I’m not going to change how I play or conduct myself in the locker room. I’m going to prepare with the same mentality. I’m going to try and be better at everything I do.
Hopefully at the end of the year, whenever the appropriate time comes, we’ll talk contract after we achieve our goals as a team. I’m just trying to control what I can control. Injuries, contract, that’s not within my control. I’m just going to be who I am when I’m on the field.
JM: We love your mindset. What did you see from rookies like Xavier Worthy and Kingsley Suamataia throughout mandatory minicamp? You have some exciting rookies on this team.
Nick Bolton: I wish we would have had the chance to get Xavier Worthy on the practice field during OTAs. He was battling some things. I actually had a chance to watch the footage of him on our iPads from rookie minicamp. It’s obvious that he can fly. I know Patrick Mahomes is going to get him the football in stride because he’s so dangerous with the football.
The tight end we got [Jared Wiley] looks like a great red-zone target. He’s a great route-runner that already understands spacing. That’s impressive considering he’s yet to play a game in this league. He understands concepts and finds ways to get open. He’s in the right place at the right time and understands how to dominate his leverage. He’s legit almost 6-foot-8. Once you get the ball in his vicinity, he’s going to come down with it.
I think those two guys are going to be great additions to our offense. We already had a fast group, and they’re going to take things to another level. Marquise “Hollywood” Brown is going to add to that as well. He’s going to be electric with the ball in his hands. He can run all day.
JM: We've appreciated your time today. What are your goals with training camp less than one month away?
Nick Bolton: Training camp is all about laying that groundwork. We’ve done that every single year. Last year, the first time we really knew we didn’t lose a beat from OTAs and training camp. We managed to pick up where we left off, and it led to another Super Bowl for us.
It showed throughout the season. We want that same feeling this year. Obviously we lost some important players in Willie Gay and L’Jarius Sneed. We need our young guys to step up.
Charles [Omenihu] was down for half the season last year. We were down a guy on our defensive line, but we still knew how to generate sacks. We’re going to dial up the pressure when we need to.
A lot of guys have something to prove in training camp. Trent McDuffie is coming off a great season. I’ve spoken with him multiple times throughout this offseason and he’s locked in. He knows he can be even better in 2024.
It’s going to be a huge year for our defense because we’re all hungry. The experience and youth is really coming together. We’re going to execute our game plans throughout the season because we want to even better on defense.
We want to be the best defense in the league this season.
