Patrick Mahomes competes with Tom Brady for NFL’s GOAT status as statistics reveal Chiefs QB likely to surpass Patriots legend

Patrick Mahomes is inarguably the best quarterback of the contemporary NFL era. The 10th pick of the 2017 Draft played only one game in his rookie season with the Kansas City Chiefs. Just the next season, he was the designated starter for the franchise, replacing Alex Smith, and the rest is history.

The 28-year-old has won three Super Bowls and is a three-time MVP in his eight-year-long career in the NFL. While the Chiefs’ signal-caller is the clear leader in statistics at the moment, it is interesting to see where he stands among the legends of football. And who better to compare with than the New England Patriots greatest of all time, Tom Brady?

Can Patrick Mahomes overtake Tom Brady in TDs soon?

The best way to compare career trajectories is through numbers, and Chris Clark on the Locked on Chiefs podcast did exactly that. The statistics considered are from regular season games and not the playoffs, and of games played rather than seasons, to avoid injury and suspension discrepancies. Therefore, up to this point, ‘Magic’ Mahomes has played 95 games and has been leading in the most touchdowns since game 67.

Clark noticed another interesting trend in the Texas Tech product’s play over the years. If Brady’s statistics in his 23-year-long career are compared, Mahomes doesn’t seem to be far behind. “But what’s really interesting to me is Tom Brady is talked about as being the greatest of all time at QB, and it’s because his stats are the best that there has ever been,” said Clark, while adding, “He played in 335 games in his career and he threw 649 touchdowns that is the all-time lead. Patrick Mahomes, if he was to play on his current pace, if he was to play 335 games, would throw for 798 touchdowns in his career…almost 150 more in the same games.”

While the possibility of Mahomes becoming the next GOAT seems quite achievable, the longevity factor comes into play. Brady played in his best form till his 40s and didn’t have any major injuries in his career. The comparison between the two has been constant in the past few years, and they reached the Kansas City quarterback earlier this year as well.

Mahomes likes “being compared to” Brady

Being compared to the biggest name in the NFL is undoubtedly a humongous compliment. When Mahomes was asked about the comparison, the quarterback modestly expressed his delight on the Pat McAfee Show. “I like it. He is the greatest of all time, and I like being compared to him, but I still have so long that I have to go in my career if you look at the longevity, the consistent greatness that he had every single year,” Mahomes expressed.

Mahomes takes lessons from Brady on his football journey and disn’t fail to express his gratitude to his team and players. “I’ve been blessed, man,” he said, and added “I’ve been blessed to be in a great organization with great players, and if I can just continue to work the way I work, I’ll have no regrets about however my career ends.” 

If numbers are anything to go by, the day is not far off where we can see Patrick Mahomes breaking all records to cement his position as the new greatest of all time in the NFL. As for the upcoming season, there is another never-done-before feat for the Chiefs: a super Bowl three-peat, which will be another milestone in the franchise’s history.