Patrick Mahomes melted hearts with a sweet shoutout to his three-year-old daughter, Sterling, before the Kansas City Chiefs’ Monday Night Football game against the New Orleans Saints, as his family goes through personal issues off the field.

Ahead of the game’s start, Mahomes sat down with ESPN’s Lisa Salters, talking through the Chiefs’ impressive season opener and the upcoming challenge posed by the Saints. As their conversation wound down, Kansas City’s star quarterback took a moment to speak directly to his number one fan back home.

“I wanted to tell my daughter Sterling, ‘Hey.’ Hey Sterling, go to bed,” he shared with a smile.

Fans flocked to social platforms to express their adoration for Mahomes’ touching gesture. “That’s honestly really wholesome,” commented a Twitter user, while someone else posted, “That’s too cute! Family first for Mahomes!”

Patrick and Brittany Mahomes welcomed their little girl Sterling Skye on February 20, 2021, followed by Patrick “Bronze” Lavon Mahomes III arriving hot on her heels on November 28, 2022. Just this past July, the duo hit Instagram with a reel to announce baby number three was on its way.

In personal insights shared during 2022, Mahomes discussed fatherhood, emphasising his desire to stay “out of the way” when it comes to any future sports aspirations of his children.

“I’m going to teach my son, my daughter all the fundamentals and whatever they want to learn. But at the same time, I want to let it be about them,” he expressed on an episode of Football in America. “That’s what my dad did growing up, that’s what my parents did. They didn’t pressure me to do anything. I think that’s why I’m in the position I am today.”

It seems one of Mahomes’ children has already shown a keen interest in the sport. While Mahomes and the Chiefs clashed with the San Francisco 49ers at Super Bowl LVIII, his daughter Sterling was spotted in the stands rooting for her dad, accompanied by Brittany and Bronze.

“[Sterling] loves to watch her dad play football. She can see him from a mile away and pays attention and keeps up with what’s going on with him,” Brittany shared with PEOPLE in January.

Following his third Vince Lombardi Trophy triumph, Mahomes relished the chance to spend precious moments with his family during the off-season. “The season was amazing,” he reflected during an interview with ‘CBS Mornings.

‘ “But being a dad now, too, and getting to enjoy that in the off-season, I think that’s been the best part.”

“Being able to go home and see my daughter and see my son, I have a better understanding of being present and enjoying it. That translates to the football field,” he continued. “And we’ve been on a heck of a run. But I’m trying to enjoy those moments, ’cause I know it doesn’t last forever, even though we want it to.”