ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — There’s a play that circulated through social media during the first few days of Chiefs training camp, so maybe it’s fitting that I’d like to talk about the player who threw it and the player who caught it.

But a different play.

And for a different reason.

Yes, quarterback Patrick Mahomes found rookie Xavier Worthy on a ridiculous throw on what’s been a revealing route this summer, and the receiver made the catch appear easier than it was. (The receivers a year ago sure spent a lot of time reminding us of its difficulty.)

That play, naturally, went viral, and most of the conclusions from it are appropriate: The Chiefs want to connect more frequently on their deep passing game this season than they did a year ago.

But you know — or you might not — Mahomes actually found Worthy on another fairly deep pattern earlier in the first full practice, this throw about 25 yards on a corner route. It didn’t produce a viral clip, probably because it wasn’t the most accurate pass Mahomes has thrown in the opening week. But Worthy adjusted to it and contorted his body to high-point it — a better catch than the go route.

The relevance, for the remainder of this column anyway, came from the reaction. Travis Kelce, standing with his helmet off on the sideline, could be heard from across the field — or at least up the hill in the media tent.

“Way to go get that thing!” Kelce yelled, before repeating himself for good measure.

That sequence came minutes before the aforementioned deep pass you probably heard a lot more about.

And that precursor is revealing of something else:

The tone of Chiefs training camp.

With apologies to defensive tackle Chris Jones, it’s a peek into precisely why the Chiefs need the presence of their veterans in St. Joseph, Missouri, and perhaps more than ever before.

Jones made a request this week, same as he did earlier in the summer during his football camp to The Kansas City Star’s Jesse Newell, for head coach Andy Reid to offer the veterans a few days off over the course of training camp.

“I just hope he finds it in his amazing heart to give me a day or two off,” Jones said again this week.

He smiled as he made the ask in front of reporters, though there seemed to be more than a hint of seriousness to it. He sure wouldn’t complain about a break here or there. The grin is probably an indication that he knows it’s a losing argument for a head coach who thrives on establishing a routine.

But whether he’s serious or not doesn’t really matter. It’s a relevant topic regardless of whether Jones had brought it up — the Chiefs have two superstar, All-Pro caliber players in their 30s as of July 3, when Jones hit the number. Kelce is 34.

This question will come up.

After all: “Thirty hit different, right?” Jones said.

It might be natural to consider a break. There might be a persuasive case.

Shouldn’t happen.

Every day at Missouri Western, they are the reminders for why it would be a mistake. Jones and Kelce are among those ones providing them.

The Chiefs will have 17 opponents this regular season, but perhaps no greater challenge is the one that will come from within: complacency. This isn’t the first time, nor the last, I’ve talked about it, because, well, it will be a real obstacle. And you can bet the Chiefs are talking about it frequently.

Kelce, Jones and Mahomes are not just the Chiefs’ best or most expensive players but their tone-setters. Treating, say, an Xavier Worthy catch like it’s the equivalent of Mecole Hardman winning a Super Bowl can have an effect. It points out that these summer days matter — that every last play during these summer days matters.

To be sure, Jones has a good case to the contrary. He skipped all of last year’s camp, and he didn’t miss a beat. Still tallied 75 pressures during the regular season, second most among interior defensive lineman, per PFF. There’s no player on the team with a better argument for sitting out a few days. He can make the case that the whole concept of training camp doesn’t have the importance it’s made out to have.

For himself.

The impact is in the trickle-down effect.

“He brings energy,” Reid said. “He always brings energy.”

Well, when he’s here.

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