Why Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes believes it’s ‘gonna be tough’ for him to beat Tom Brady in NFL GOAT debate image
Patrick Mahomes joined an exclusive list of NFL quarterbacks by winning his third Super Bowl and third Super Bowl MVP against the 49ers on Sunday.

But he isn’t looking to submit himself as the NFL’s GOAT just yet.

The 28-year-old Chiefs star is aware that some believe he is on track to become the greatest quarterback in league history thanks to his early-career success.

“Yeah, I hear it,” Mahomes said when asked about his standing in NFL history after Kansas City’s 25-22 win over San Francisco in Super Bowl 58.

BENDER: Where does Patrick Mahomes rank among greatest QBs of all time?

If you ask Mahomes, though, he still believes Tom Brady is the NFL’s greatest player of all time. And he knows that it would take a while for him to pass Brady — if he can at all.

“To me it’s always gonna be tough because Brady beat me in the Super Bowl,” Mahomes said. “That’s one thing I’ll always have over my head.”

Indeed, Brady’s Buccaneers beat Mahomes’ Chiefs, 31-9, in Super Bowl 55. That remains Mahomes’ lone Super Bowl loss and his worst performance to date, as he completed 26 of 49 passes for 270 yards and two interceptions while facing constant pressure from an excellent Tampa Bay defense.

Mahomes also lost head-to-head against Brady in the 2018 AFC championship game, so his career record against Brady’s teams is 0-2.

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With that said, Mahomes would likely need to not only match Brady’s NFL record of seven Super Bowl wins but possibly even surpass it to leave no doubt in the GOAT debate between the two.

Still, Mahomes views that as positive external pressure as he looks to stay atop his game and continue Kansas City’s dynastic run.

“It gives me something to strive for every single day, just chasing greatness,” Mahomes said. “Whenever I’m tired and I don’t want to work, I know that I have to do it in order to be in moments like this.”

And as Mahomes detailed ahead of the Super Bowl, he isn’t counting himself out of that debate. He just knows that longevity is an important part of it.

Thus, he doesn’t believe he’s ready to be in it yet given that he is “not even close to halfway” through his career.

“If you ask me that question in 15 years, I’ll see if I can get close to seven,” Mahomes said. “But seven seems like a long way away still.”