“It’s more about public image”: Chiefs TE Peyton Hendershot makes feelings clear on Cowboys’ culture

Winning may not always be first and foremost for “America’s Team," according to tight end Peyton Hendershot, who joined the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2022. The 25-year-old, who was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in August 2024, said that he has noticed a massive difference in culture between the Cowboys and the Chiefs.

At a Super Bowl presser on Wednesday, the former Indiana tight end said:

"This is throwing no strays. ... but I just feel like when I came to Kansas City ... my first experience in the NFL was the Cowboys, so that’s all I knew. ... I just feel like here. It is strictly football and winning. Nothing else but just football and winning."

Hendershot added that in Dallas, playing the game wasn’t the only thing players thought about:

“And I feel like with the Cowboys, it’s a little bit more like ... the public image. The extracurriculars that come with it, too. And here it’s just ... let’s just win football.”

In his first season with the Cowboys in 2022, Hendershot was a third-string tight end behind Dalton Schultz and Jake Ferguson. He started in two games, making 11 catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns, and made five catches for 51 yards in one game for KC in 2024.

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How do the Dallas Cowboys brand compare with the Chiefs?

The Dallas Cowboys may be among the most recognizable brands in the NFL, espeically for their success under Jerry Jones. Moreover, many of their biggest stars this century have been entertaining figures but without any Super Bowl rings.

Tony Romo had a solid career as the Cowboys quarterback and was also a big name and in plenty of entertainment magazines. Micah Parsons has his own podcast. The difference between the Cowboys of the 90s, who were all over TV, and the players now is that the team got plenty of marketing gigs three decades ago because they won multiple Super Bowls.

That’s the same thing with the Chiefs, who are perhaps the biggest trending NFL team currently. While Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and Travis Kelce do commercials or make cameo appearances on big shows, they’re still able to focus on football and win. That makes the Chiefs' quest for a historic three-peat this weekend quite remarkable.

Being in the spotlight can be difficult, but the Chiefs have found the right balance of marketing themselves while also staying on top.