With Patrick Mahomes leading the Kansas City Chiefs to their third Super Bowl victory in five years, many wonder whether he can already be considered the greatest quarterback of all time over Tom Brady.
But former NFL cornerback Asante Samuel, who won two championships next to Brady at the New England Patriots, believes Mahomes will never get to surpass his ex-teammate.
“My opinion is it is damn near impossible for Patrick Mahomes to dethrone Tom Brady as the number one GOAT,” Samuel said on Say What Needs to Be Said, via Sports Illustrated. “It is damn near impossible for Patrick Mahomes to dethrone Tom Brady’s number one GOAT status. Right? If you look at the body of work, not the accolades, because we all know accolades come from popularity and perception and perception driven.”
Mahomes already boasts three Super Bowl rings at just 28, which is why many believe he has plenty of time to get close to Brady’s record of seven championships. However, Samuel believes Mahomes needs to overtake Brady by at least three rings to be considered the GOAT.
“So we know that Brady has seven Super Bowl victories, six with one organization and one during a pandemic, defeating Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. How are you going to beat that? Eight Super Bowl victories aren’t enough for Patrick Mahomes to say he dethroned Tom Brady. I say he needs at least ten to dethrone Tom Brady,” Samuel added.
Mahomes says he’s not even close to catching Brady
Mahomes’ success made the GOAT debate an interesting topic in the NFL, as his rise comes just after the end of Brady’s supremacy. But one strong argument for those who defend Tom’s status as the No. 1 is the playoff record between them.
Brady got the upper hand both times he faced Mahomes in the postseason, first with the Patriots’ win over the Chiefs in the 2019 AFC Championship Game. But the next one was more significant, as Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to victory against Mahomes’ Chiefs in Super Bowl LV. Mahomes doesn’t dare to compare himself with Brady yet, especially for that loss in the big game in 2021.
“Yeah I hear it (the comparisons),” Mahomes told CBS. “To me, it’s always going to be tough because Brady beat me in the Super Bowl. I mean, I’m not even close to halfway, so I haven’t put a lot of thought into it.”
