Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes Talks NFL Retirement, Tom Brady GOAT Debate and ‘Dad Bod’
Tyler Conway@@jtylerconwayFeatured Columnist IVApril 16, 2024
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Retirement is a long way in the future for Patrick Mahomoes, but he says family life will play a large part in how long he continues to line up under center.
“I’ve looked, if I played until Tom [Brady]’s age, my daughter would be 19, 20 years old,” Mahomes told Sean Gregory of Time. “I would love to play that long. At the same time, I want to be there for my daughter. If I can do that, I’ll continue to play. But if I feel like it’s taking away from my family time, that’s when I’ll know it’s time to go.”
Mahomes turns 29 in September, so he would need to play another 16 seasons to reach Brady’s age-45 retirement. Brady holds essentially every NFL record for a quarterback due to his unwavering commitment to football, and Mahomes acknowledged he’ll need to take better care of himself to play deep into his 40s.
“Tom’s skewed people’s brains on how hard that is to do because of how well he took care of his body,” Mahomes said. “So I’m about to make sure that I get rid of this dad bod if I want to play to 45.”
Mahomes, perhaps taking advantage of his 20s metabolism, is still a fan of junk food. He admitted he regularly downs Chick-Fil-A and Starbursts, and he’s the owner of eight Whataburger restaurants. While Mahomes acknowledged his “dad bod” might not be the best for his longevity in the NFL, he noted it has allowed him to absorb some shots in the pocket.
“I definitely have the dad bod a little bit,” Mahomes said. “I’ll also say I have a great body for a quarterback. You’ve got to have some padding in there to take the hits that we take.”
Mahomes has missed only four games since taking over as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback in 2018 and has largely avoided significant injuries. That said, bodies tend to break down as a player leaves his athletic prime, and Brady was able to extend his career by fully committing to his nutrition and exercise regimen.
Brady’s TB12 Method became synonymous with his extended prime, with some teammates even taking part in the workouts to extend their careers. Four of Brady’s seven Super Bowl victories came after his 35th birthday, and Mahomes says that type of longevity is necessary to enter the GOAT debate.
“You have to build a consistency of a career,” Mahomes said. “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.”
Mahomes is one of five NFL quarterbacks to win at least three Super Bowls as a starter. His three Super Bowl MVPs are matched only by Brady (five) and Joe Montana (three), arguably the two greatest quarterbacks in league history.
The Chiefs became the first team since Brady’s Patriots to win back-to-back Super Bowls earlier this year. Mahomes has also impressed with his ability to win in a variety of ways. When teams started to take away his downfield passing by playing with two high safeties, Mahomes began methodically moving the ball down the field with a series of underneath and intermediate passes.
Mahomes’ ability to grow and adapt as a quarterback puts him in the same conversation as Brady, who also adjusted to several offensive scheme changes during his career.
As long as Mahomes is healthy and under center, there’s no reason to believe the Chiefs will be anything short of a yearly Super Bowl contender. Coach Andy Reid has shown no signs of slowing down at age 66, so only time will tell if Mahomes takes care of himself enough to nudge Brady to second spot in the GOAT debate.
