On Sunday, Patrick Mahomes will play his 100th NFL game – and what a resume he has already built.
In six full seasons as a starter, the quarterback has won three Super Bowls, two MVPs and is a two-time All-Pro.
He has 224 passing touchdowns since 2018 (his first year as a starter) – at least 49 more than anyone else.
And of course, there have been plenty of clutch moments along the way, like his walk-off score for Mecole Hardman in last year’s Super Bowl against the 49ers.
Mahomes — whose 77 regular-season victories in 99 games are a record — is considered by many to be the best player in the sport today.
Patrick Mahomes will play his 100th game on Sunday and already has a great resume
But how does it perform historically?
As he prepares for a hundred NFL appearances, Mail Sport looks at the arguments for and against him already being the GOAT.
Mahomes IS the GOAT
With the third-most Super Bowl wins of any quarterback ever, already at the age of 29, it’s fair to compare Mahomes to another quarterback widely regarded as the GOAT: Tom Brady.
Of course, Mahomes is nowhere near Brady’s ridiculous seven Super Bowl rings or the counting stats he’s amassed in his 23 seasons.
But we’re not just talking about who played the longest; we are talking about talent.
And while Brady was part of some great Super Bowl-winning teams, he wasn’t always the centerpiece.
During his first Super Bowl run with the Patriots in 2001, Brady threw just one touchdown, and on two other occasions (2003 and 2020) he completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes during a Super Bowl-winning run.
Meanwhile, Mahomes has already produced an 11-touchdown Super Bowl run — something Brady has never done — and has built a more compelling postseason record thus far (more on that later).
Then there’s his otherworldly ability.
Patrick Mahomes brings an incredible blend of throwing ability and arm strength to the field
Tom Brady, who retired with a whopping seven Super Bowls, is widely considered the GOAT
Brady blossomed as a more traditional pocket passer for the Patriots – becoming a shining example of that archetype.
But Mahomes has even more to offer.
He’s a better rusher and scrambler, his cannon of an arm is stronger and his ability to get out of the pocket has produced some truly breathtaking moments, like his classic sidearm throws.
But the numbers also support Mahomes.
If SportsNet previously mentioned, Brady’s postseason stats were 3,217 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, nine interceptions and three Super Bowls before he turned 30.
Mahomes, 29, has the same number of rings but far more passing yards (5,135), more touchdowns (41) and fewer interceptions (8) in the playoffs.
Brady was a key cog on big defensive teams at times earlier in his career. Mahomes has always been the main driver of his team’s success.
Additionally, it’s worth noting the per-game averages of Brady and Mahomes (so far.
Mahomes has a higher completion percentage, more yards per attempt, more passing yards per game and a higher passer rating.
Mahomes has had an insane amount of postseason success in just six full seasons as a starter
Relative to other multi-Super Bowl winners like Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw and Troy Aikman, Mahomes is playing against what many would consider the most athletic defenders in the history of the sport.
And in regards to Aaron Rodgers, another player often considered the most talented quarterback ever, Mahomes has already surpassed his postseason performance.
Ultimately, the Chiefs star has the accolades and ability to be considered the best already.
Mahomes is NOT the GOAT
Part of being the GOAT is consistency and longevity – two things Mahomes hasn’t proven at this point.
Let’s start with consistency.
Although Mahomes has put together some insanely good seasons, he has been quietly struggling for over a year now.
In his last nineteen regular season games, he was pretty ordinary by his standards: a 92.2 passer rating, 32 touchdowns and, crucially, 18 interceptions.
We know he can turn it on when needed, as he led the Chiefs to a second straight Super Bowl last year after sitting out the regular season, but GOAT standards should dictate he’s at his best every night .
That hasn’t been the case for a while.
In terms of longevity, part of what made Brady (and others in the conversation, like Peyton Manning) so great was their success over such long periods of time.
Brady’s best passing season came in his age-44 season with Tampa Bay, and his first and last Super Bowl wins were 19 seasons apart.
More broadly, he largely improved as he got older, and his high levels throughout his unusually long career set the bar for GOAT status.
Mahomes will struggle to improve because he starts at a higher point than Brady, but being the GOAT takes more than just six full seasons of greatness.
Mahomes had a tough time last year in the regular season for the Kansas City Chiefs
Finally, we’ll throw in a wild card: How much of Mahomes’ success does he owe to the genius of Andy Reid?
Mahomes obviously deserves a lot of credit for what he was able to accomplish in Kansas City, and it’s worth remembering that this was a franchise that could never get over the hump with Alex Smith before he got there.
But Brady silenced many skeptics when he left New England for Tampa Bay after 20 years and immediately won a Super Bowl outside the confines of “the Patriot Way.”
Mahomes’ greatness should not be doubted, but we may need to see him win elsewhere before GOAT status is anointed.