Patrick Mahomes says he’s “nowhere near” GOAT status

Patrick Mahomes has done a lot, but he hasn’t done enough to be considered the GOAT. That’s his assessment, at least.

In only six seasons as the Chiefs’ full-time starting quarterback, Mahomes has won three Super Bowls, three Super Bowl MVP awards, two NFL MVPs and has led the NFL in passing yards once and passing touchdowns twice. He’s only 28.

“I’ve had at least one of the top three starts to a career, I’ll put it that way,” Mahomes told Sean Gregory of TIME, which named him one of the world’s most influential people of 2024.

Mahomes mentioned Tom Brady, Joe Montana and Dan Marino as others who are in the discussion. In his first six seasons as a full-time starter, from 2001-06, Brady won three Super Bowls and two Super Bowl MVP awards. Montana won two Super Bowls and twice was Super Bowl MVP in his first six seasons as a full-time starter. Marino never won a Super Bowl, but he was a league MVP in his second season.

Mahomes is four Super Bowls and two Super Bowl MVPs behind Brady, who played longer than any other position player in history, retiring at the age of 45. Brady’s seven Super Bowl rings are two more than any other player at any position in history.

Mahomes is off to a good start, but he has a long way to go to catch Brady, and he conceded he’s “nowhere near” GOAT status.

“You have to build a consistency of a career,” Mahomes told Gregory. “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.”

Brady had a nine-year gap between his third Super Bowl title and his fourth.

If Mahomes doesn’t have a big gap between Super Bowls, he could demolish what Brady did. But who knows what happens between now and the end of Mahomes’ career.

That’s when the debate will really become a debate.

“That’s something I’ll talk about when I’m done playing. Then, people can make those decisions,” Mahomes said.