Debates about the greatest player to ever do it rage on for decades in many sports. But NFL football isn’t one of them—at least not at the moment. The unquestioned GOAT is Tom Brady, who retired after the 2022 season with seven Super Bowl rings to his name (more than any single franchise) and nearly every meaningful QB record you can think of. And it seemed like no one would ever catch him.
Right as Brady’s career was winding down, flame-throwing Patrick Mahomes came along. He has had an unprecedented run to start his career, reaching the AFC Championship in each of his first seven seasons as a starting QB. He has also racked up three Super Bowl rings, three Super Bowl MVPs, and a litany of other honors. And he’s still only 29.
You’d think that someone making such a strong push for his GOAT status would rattle Tom Brady. Wrong.
The New England Patriots legend has refused to “throw shade” at the latest NFL dynasty. Instead, he has taken the magnanimous fan approach: he simply enjoys watching just how good Mahomes and his Kansas City Chiefs are.
“How can I throw shade at someone who’s as amazing as he is. I know what he’s been through, and I think the one position that I’m in now as a broadcaster, I do feel responsible. A), to tell the fans what I see and be honest and up front about everything. But also realize that what these guys are doing on the field is extremely difficult. It’s a high level of skill,” Brady said via Complex Sports.
Brady went on to say that his policy for celebrating players rather than tearing them down doesn’t just apply to the best of the best like Patrick Mahomes. But all of the individuals taking the gridiron.
“You’re looking at any of the 32 teams who have a starting quarterback out there, that guy’s one of the best in the world at what he does. So do they make the right plays all the time? Certainly not. By the way, neither did I. And I think you have to have this context and perspective and you realize that it’s not about it’s not about this harsh critique and that’s not really what it’s all about anyway.”
Brady comes off as a healthy veteran voice in the NFL world right now. But we will say this: it’s probably pretty easy not to get too worked up about the QB chasing your legacy when you were able to beat that guy twice (once in the 2018 AFC Championship, once in Super Bowl 55) while they were in their prime and you were on the wrong side of 40.
However, through their first eight years in the league, Mahomes has racked up far gaudier numbers than Brady, apart from championships. Both had amassed three by the end of their first eight seasons. But apart from that, Mahomes has…
More yards, more completions, more touchdowns, fewer interceptions, more rushing yards. A better completion percentage, a better passer rating, more yards per pass, better TD and INT rates. More wins, both regular season and postseason. More All-Pros, more Pro Bowls, more Super Bowl MVPs, more league MVPs.
However, those two head-to-head wins might always keep Brady above Mahomes in the GOAT conversation. No matter how many of Brady’s records Mahomes is able to eclipse. And based on eight years of evidence, it certainly seems like he will eclipse a lot of them, if not all.
