When Tom Brady won his seventh Super Bowl while playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by beating Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs three seasons ago, there was no doubt who the greatest football player to ever do it was.
Winning more Lombardi Trophies than any NFL franchise, having played over two decades of football and being at the top of nearly every statistical category, Brady walked away from the sport with every football fan saying he was the G.O.A.T., almost assuredly after beating Mahomes twice in the postseason en route to winning two of his seven Super Bowls. And even if Mahomes –– or anyone, for that matter –– could catch Brady, it would take years and probably an equal number of championships. Right?
Wrong.
Since walking off the field in the 31-9 loss to Brady in Super Bowl LV, Mahomes has covered enough ground to not just make the G.O.A.T. conversation entertaining, but now wondering how far he’s surpassed Brady.
From the macro view, it may seem unfair to even compare the two. For starters, Mahomes just finished his seventh season, less than a third of Brady’s 23. Brady’s longevity also boosts the record books, along with the aforementioned fact that he is 2-0 against Mahomes in the playoffs. But in the micro, Mahomes’ has already shown why he is the greatest.
Coincidentally, both quarterbacks played just one game in their first season, so we can scratch those. In six seasons as a starter, Mahomes has racked up three Super Bowl trophies with three Super Bowl MVPs, two regular season MVPs, six Pro Bowl selections and a three-time All-Pro. In Brady’s first six seasons as a starter, he matched Mahomes’ three Super Bowls, but won the MVP of those games twice, never winning a regular season MVP award, being named to the Pro Bowl three times, and was an All-Pro once. Not only has Mahomes had a better career thus far, but he was also the key piece on the team, while the defense often led Brady and his offense.
After winning his third ring in Feb. 2005 against Philidelphia, Brady didn’t win his fourth until Feb. 2015 against Seattle. Does anyone think Mahomes will go more than half that time without a ring, especially since he has only missed the Super Bowl entirely twice ever?
Mahomes has shown he can win in multiple ways. In his breakout 2018 season, he won the MVP and was a first-team All-Pro, leading his team to the No.1 seed in the playoffs, losing in overtime in the AFC Championship Game. He rebounded his second season by winning the whole thing and won two more Super Bowls in the 2022 and 2023 seasons with defensive-led teams and having mediocre at best offenses.
On the other hand, Brady his early seasons were led by his defense, and was just tasked to not give the game away. In fairness, Brady did what he was asked and led his team to three championships in four seasons. But now that Mahomes has gone to four Super Bowls in six seasons while making the conference title game in every single one of his years, he’s on a trajectory that has never been seen.
Sure, Brady has four more rings than Mahomes. But is that what makes someone the greatest? In every year of Mahomes’ career, he has undoubtedly been the best quarterback on the planet and is the last player you want with the ball in his hands if he’s facing your team, even if there’s just 13 seconds on the clock –– just ask Buffalo fans.
Mahomes also doesn’t get blown out. Including the playoffs, Mahomes has only lost four total games by 10 or more points as a starter. In the postseason, he raises his level of play to an even higher level. The sixth-year starter is 5-2 when trailing by 10 or more points in the playoffs; the rest of history is 8-55 in such games. And with the Super Bowl win two Sundays ago, Mahomes is third all-time in playoff wins with 15, while Brady is first with 35.
Mahomes is undoubtedly ahead of pace in catching Brady in numbers and still has another decade to play if we’re being pessimistic.
If Mahomes retired tomorrow, he would be in the top three in most people’s all-timers lists, despite playing a fraction of the time. But with the best start to any NFL career ever and passing the eye test as the most talented quarterback we’ve seen, it’s not too early to start proclaiming Mahomes as the greatest footballer of all time.
