Earlier this week, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes expressed his admiration for Cam Newton.
On Thursday, Newton reciprocated.
“Man, he’s changing the game," the New England QB said of Mahomes ahead of Sunday's Patriots-Chiefs showdown. "He’s changing the game."
At just 25 years old, Mahomes' trophy case already includes an NFL MVP Award, a Super Bowl title and a Super Bowl MVP. Oh, and he's also the owner of the richest contract in American sports history -- 10 years, $503 million.
Mahomes' arm talent is elite, but Newton raved about his command of the game, comparing him to one Hall of Famer and two future Hall of Famers.
"I think he’s shined light on the new wave of quarterbacks, and it’s just fun to watch," Newton said. "And not only that, but he has a lot of merit to what he does. It’s not like he’s just back there and it's just an arcade game. Sometimes it looks like it, but he knows exactly what he’s doing and how he’s manipulating the defense.
"That’s the same thing that the Dan Marinos used to do, obviously the Tom Bradys, the Aaron Rodgers. Those guys really have so much command of the offense that you dictate to the defense, and that’s what he’s doing. He’s playing the game at a high level."
Sunday's game at Arrowhead Stadium will be the first meeting between Newton, who's in his first season with the Patriots, and Mahomes, who's vying for his second straight Super Bowl title.
"I wish I could do some of the things that (Newton) does as far as how physical he is and the way he's able to make plays happen," Mahomes told reporters this week. "He's a great football player. ... I saw his highlights then when I was back in high school in those days. He's a great football player, and he's in a great spot now, and he's playing really good football.
"I think it's going to be a great challenge to go up against his team, knowing that they're going to be able to really move the football."
Mahomes has led the Chiefs to a 3-0 start this season, completing 67.8% of his passes for 898 yards and nine touchdowns with zero interceptions.
