The first thing you might notice about new Kansas City Chiefs edge rusher R Mason Thomas is that he has a unique first name.

No, the R isn’t an abbreviation. It’s “R Mason.” It doesn’t stand for anything beyond a commitment to family tradition. It’s something that Thomas didn’t always do. Because of the uniqueness and confusion it caused, Thomas went by “Mason” until his junior year of high school. He adopted the “R” to his name, and that same year, he led his high school football team to a 4A state title in Florida.

But back to the name: It all comes down to a family tradition that has lasted a long time.

The why behind new Chiefs EDGE R Mason Thomas’ name starts and ends with family tradition

Speaking on a podcast in September 2024, Thomas explained the origin of his first name. No, it’s not a typo on his birth certificate. It’s entirely intentional. All the men’s names on his mother’s side of the family start with an “R.”

“It doesn’t stand for anything,” Thomas said. “Some people put a period there (after the R). My first name is R Mason. There’s a space in between the capital R and the capital M. My mom didn’t want me to be an R name, like Richard or Raymond. But on her side of the family, [there’s] a lot of R names. Her dad, her grandfather, my uncle, her brother, even his son’s name starts with an R. She didn’t want an R name, but she wanted to keep the R going, so she made it R Mason.” 

So, she wanted to go against the grain, but kept the tradition alive all the same. Rest assured, he’s the only one with the name “R Mason.” However, if his time in Kansas City goes well, there might be some Chiefs fans just crazy enough to play the copycat game.