Super Bowl 2024: Patrick Mahomes says he’s ‘not even close to halfway’ to surpassing Tom Brady’s seven Super Bowl rings, as Chiefs QB calls being in his fourth championship game ‘surreal’

Patrick Mahomes has shaken off rumors he could surpass Tom Brady’s seven Super Bowl rings, as the Chiefs star insisted Monday he’s “not even close to half that.”

Mahomes, 28, has already won two Super Bowls and Sunday marks his fourth trip to the NFL championship. His only big-game loss came against Brady’s Buccaneers in 2021.

And while the Kansas City quarterback is certainly on track to threaten Brady’s record, he isn’t focused on that ahead of a matchup with the 49ers.

“I’m not even half way through yet, so I haven’t thought about it much,” Mahomes told reporters via ESPN. “Your goal is to be the best player you can be, and I know I’ve been blessed with a lot of great players. So right now I’m doing everything I can to beat a great 49ers team and get that third ring.

“If you ask me that question in fifteen years, I’ll see if I can get close to seven, but seven still seems far away.”

There is talk of whether he will surpass Tom Brady’s record of seven Super Bowl rings

Brady’s seven Super Bowls are matched by linebacker Charles Haley’s five with the Cowboys and 49ers, while Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana are second among quarterbacks with four.

If Mahomes claims his third ring on Sunday, he will become only the fifth quarterback to do so.

“I don’t think I could have ever anticipated what would happen at the beginning of my career,” he said.

“You want to go to the Super Bowl. That’s your ultimate goal, and to be able to be in my fourth is really surreal and I try to appreciate it every time. You don’t even know if it’s going to be your last, and I’m blessed to be a part of a great organization with a lot of great players around me, so I’m just trying to maximize those opportunities.”

Brady and Mahomes shake hands after playing a regular season game in 2022

Mahomes and the Chiefs won twice on the road heading into this Super Bowl trip, beating Buffalo and Baltimore after handling the Dolphins at home.

They’ll now face a 49ers team with arguably the league’s best defense, and Mahomes will want to avoid the pain that Brady and co. did to him three years ago.

“I lost the Super Bowl and I know how much that hurts, and you want to make sure you stay away from that feeling,” he said.

“When you lose it and you’re sitting in the locker room and you feel like you’re so close and you haven’t gotten it… I’m almost more addicted to being away from that feeling than I am to hoisting the trophy.”