Since he won his first Super Bowl, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been compared to Tom Brady.
Brady won seven Super Bowls in his decorated NFL career, and Mahomes won three in his first seven seasons (six as a starter). However, if Mahomes wins his third Super Bowl in a row during the 2024-25 playoffs, Mahomes’ eighth NFL season, some are wondering if he will officially pass Brady as the greatest of all time (or at least be on track).
One person who wants to clarify the GOAT debate is Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who recently shared his thoughts on the topic.
Travis Kelce Shares His Thoughts on Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady as the GOAT
Travis Kelce told ESPN’s Chris Berman who he thinks is the GOAT: “He’s [Mahomes] the greatest to ever do it. You can’t change my mind, otherwise.”
Kelce goes further into why he thinks Mahomes is the GOAT in his eyes.
“There’s one common denominator from the Chiefs my entire career, and that’s Andy Reid, but this thing really took off when Patrick Mahomes got here,” Kelce stated. “I know everybody knows that, but what I see in the building, his leadership, his ability to relate to everybody and motivate everybody, and be accountable, it’s unique, and it’s like nothing else.”
Mahomes and Kelce are also very close, which may explain why he leans heavily toward his friend.
“It’s been such a pleasure. He’s every bit of a superstar off the field as he is on the field. I consider him family.”
Why Brady Is Still the GOAT
For a long time, the GOAT debate was between Brady and Joe Montana. Montana was considered the best because he was a four-time Super Bowl winner, three-time Super Bowl MVP, and two-time NFL MVP.
But that was until Brady came along. Once Brady surpassed Montana in Super Bowls with his fifth title, which was the most by a QB in league history, the debate was over — though the tides officially turned when Brady finished with seven Super Bowls, the last of which came with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and five Super Bowl MVP awards, as well as three NFL MVPs.
READ MORE: NFL MVP Winners: List of Each Winner by Year and Repeat Winners
The closest so far to Brady’s legacy is Mahomes. He has three Super Bowl wins and two NFL MVPs. If he, however, wins his third Super Bowl in a row — which no team in NFL modern history has ever done — then the talk may shift to Mahomes being better than Brady.
As good as Brady was, he never led his team to back-to-back-to-back Super Bowl wins, and neither was Montana. Winning three consecutive Super Bowls would put Mahomes in a league all to himself and potentially make him the greatest NFL QB of all time.