The Kansas City Chiefs finished off the 2023 regular season by winning Super Bowl 58, their third Lombardy Trophy in Patrick Mahomes‘ six-year career as starting quarterback. Mahomes was named Super Bowl MVP for the third time in his career, and the Chiefs became the first team to win back-to-back titles since the New England Patriots in 2004.
With Mahomes adding to his already Hall of Fame legacy so early into his career, many are already putting him in the conversation for greatest of all time with Tom Brady. However, for one of Brady’s former teammates, a three-peat could be enough to give Mahomes the title.
Jason McCourty on the GOAT Debate Between Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady
Mahomes, taken 10th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, has quickly taken over the league. He has three Super Bowl championships and MVPs, two AP NFL MVPs, one AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, two first-team All-Pros, one second-team All-Pro, and six Pro Bowls.
“He’s passed [Joe] Montana and the rest of the guys,” said Robert Griffin III. Mahomes has passed for 28,424 yards, 219 touchdowns, and 63 interceptions. He also has 1,936 yards and 12 scores on the ground.
Additionally, in the postseason, Mahomes has 5,135 yards, 41 TDs, and eight INTs in 18 games.
“Brady has seven Super Bowls,” said Jason McCourty, who was teammates with Brady from 2018-2020. “So, we’re putting a mark for Mahomes that he has to at least get seven [Super Bowls].”
Additionally, there’s the case of Super Bowl LV, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Brady beat the Chiefs and Mahomes 31-9. “The fact Brady beat him in the Super Bowl, you have to hold that against him as well,” said McCourty.
In Super Bowl LV, Mahomes passed 26 of 49 for 270 yards and two interceptions. Brady, on the other hand, passed 21 of 29 for 201 yards and three touchdowns.
However, no team has ever won three Super Bowls in a row. If the Chiefs do it, Mahomes and the crew would make history.
“But, if they go three-peat, and they’re the only team, and he’s the only quarterback to win three in a row, I think that changes the conversation,” said McCourty.
“If he wins three in a row and he maybe doesn’t get to seven [Super Bowls] … but three of them happen in a row, I think you can still have that conversation of if he’s the greatest of all time,” said McCourty. “The only thing is, Brady beat him.”
Brady retired after the 2022 season, marking 23 seasons in the NFL. He was with the New England Patriots from 2000-2019 and the Buccaneers from 2020-2022. He passed for 89,214 yards, 649 touchdowns, and 212 interceptions.
Additionally, he is a seven-time Super Bowl champion, five-time Super Bowl MVP, three-time AP NFL MVP, two-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year, three-time first-team All-Pro, three-time second-team All-Pro, one-time NFL Comeback Player of the Year and 15-time Pro Bowler.
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Ultimately, this conversation will continue for a long time. Mahomes is just 28 years old and could play a long time, as Brady didn’t retire until he was 45 years old.