'Tom could probably play until he's 55'
With Patrick Mahomes not even 48 hours removed from winning his second-career Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs, the 27-year-old is already drawing comparisons to all-time great Tom Brady.
With Brady calling it a career following his 2022-23 run with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, his longtime battle against Father Time officially came to an end at age 45. That leaves Mahomes just 18 years short of surpassing what many viewed as the undoable during Brady’s final seasons with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay.
So, does Mahomes have it in him to chase Brady? Well, not exactly.
“I don’t know if I’m going to make it to 45 like Tom,” Mahomes said, according to ESPN. “I mean, Tom could probably play until he’s 55 if he really wanted to.”
Mahomes is quickly establishing his place in the all-time greats conversation for NFL quarterbacks with just six seasons under his belt. The 2022-23 NFL MVP, who threw for over 5,000 yards with 41 touchdowns, already has an 11-3 playoff record which also includes a 4-1 record in AFC Championship appearances. His only loss? 2019 against Brady and the Patriots. So the resume is undoubtedly off to a Hall of Fame-caliber start.
Whether or not Mahomes intends to step into the ring with Father Time like Brady did, he’s on track to building his case for the never-ending greatest-of-all-time discussion. And the legitimacy of his case (so far) shouldn’t be questioned with premature hypotheticals.