Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce is confident that his teammate, Patrick Mahomes, will one day surpass Tom Brady as the greatest quarterback of all time (GOAT).
Brady, who retired in February with an unmatched legacy, left the NFL as the most decorated quarterback in the history of the sport.
However, Kelce believes that Mahomes has the talent and time on his side to eventually achieve everything the 46-year-old Brady accomplished during his illustrious career.
During his 22 seasons in the NFL, Brady won a record seven Super Bowl titles—more than any other quarterback in history—while also setting records for career passing yards (89,214), touchdown passes (649), and several other notable achievements
These in-game accomplishments have solidified Brady’s place atop the all-time list, but Kelce sees a future in which Mahomes could take that spot.
“I think right now, the pace that Mahomes is hitting and the way he’s doing it, I think everything has a little more to do with Mahomes than it did with Brady in Brady’s first few years,” Kelce said, emphasizing Mahomes’ early career dominance. “That’s going to continue to grow.”
At just 28 years old, Mahomes is already a two-time Super Bowl champion. His most recent victory came last season when he led the Chiefs to a thrilling win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. His first championship came in 2020, when Kansas City defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV. In his six full seasons as a starter, Mahomes has already thrown for 26,282 passing yards and 207 touchdown passes. While these numbers pale in comparison to Brady’s career totals, Mahomes still has many years ahead of him to close the gap.
The challenge to surpass Brady’s accomplishments will be immense. Winning seven Super Bowls, a feat no other quarterback has come close to, remains the gold standard for measuring greatness at the position. Kelce acknowledged the difficulty of this task but remains optimistic. “Seven Super Bowl championships is a record for Tom Brady, and it is very difficult to surpass,” Kelce said. “But if anyone can do it, I believe it’s Mahomes.”
The Chiefs, who are off to a 6-1 start this season, are once again among the favorites to win the Super Bowl. If Mahomes can guide Kansas City to another championship, it would mark the first time in nearly two decades that a franchise has won back-to-back titles. The last team to accomplish this feat was Brady’s New England Patriots, who won consecutive Super Bowls in 2004 and 2005.
As Mahomes continues to build his legacy, the question of whether he can eventually surpass Brady as the GOAT will loom large. For now, Brady’s accomplishments remain untouchable, but with Mahomes’ talent and trajectory, it is a debate that could become much more interesting in the years to come.
