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When the Kansas City Chiefs lifted yet another Lombardi Trophy in February, it began a debate.
Who’s the GOAT: Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes?
Now Mahomes has opted to give his view of things in a new interview with TIME Magazine.
Sure, Brady has the accolades. He’s won seven Super Bowls compared to Mahomes’ three. He holds just about NFL passing record ever.
But what Mahomes has done before the age of 30 in Kansas City is nothing short of remarkable. Is it enough for him to be considered the GOAT, however?
He doesn’t think so.
“I’ve had at least one of the top three starts to a career,” Mahomes told TIME. “I’ll put it that way.”
He then mentioned Brady, Joe Montana, and Dan Marino as others in the discussion.
Patrick Mahomes Says More Longevity Needed To Be Considered The GOAT
Why such humility?
Mahomes says it’s a matter of longevity, stating that he’s “nowhere near” GOAT status at the moment.
“You have to build a consistency of a career,” he said in the interview. “You see that in any sport. I’ve had a great run. I think I’ve done a great job so far. But it’s hard to take away from what Tom did for so long, what Peyton Manning did, or Aaron Rodgers. There are so many guys, they were at such a high level for such a long time. In order to be in that conversation, you have to do that on a year-to-year basis. You can’t take it for granted that you did it the year before.
“That’s something I’ll talk about when I’m done playing,” he continued. “Then people can make those decisions.”
That’s a diplomatic answer. It’s also probably the right answer. But at the current rate, it won’t be long before the answer changes.