Chasing the GOAT: Patrick Mahomes II

Ethan Dalton, Staff Writer | 

Since being drafted 10th overall in 2017, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs have had arguably the most dominant stretch in NFL history, capped with their recent Super Bowl victory over the 49ers. In every year that Mahomes has been the starting quarterback, the Chiefs have made the AFC championship, meaning they have been in the top four remaining teams competing for a Super Bowl title every year for over half a decade. This domination is mimicking Tom Brady, who saw three Super Bowl victories in his first four years and firmly established the 2000s and 2010s New England Patriots as one of the greatest dynasties in the history of sports, accumulating six titles over that time, and one more with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring. But let’s steer focus toward the individual players, as team wins aren’t the best indicator of all-time greatness. Mahomes’ resume now includes three Super Bowl titles, three Super Bowl MVPs, two first-team all-pro selections, and two regular season MVPs, among other elite individual statistics. Additionally, Mahomes holds the current record for most passing yards per game in NFL history with 296.1, a whopping 16.1 more yards per game than Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees, who is second with 280.0. Mahomes still has a long career left as the face of the NFL, but his greatness now still stacks up to the all-time greats and surpasses most of them. Mahomes could retire right now and be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but let’s examine just how well he stacks up to other all-time greats.

Let’s look at Peyton Manning, who when he retired held several significant all-time quarterback records including the all-time passing yard and passing touchdowns’ title among many others. When Manning retired, he was considered to be one of the best of all time, if not the best. His resume includes an all-time best five league MVP’s, with two Super Bowl titles, one Super Bowl MVP, and seven 1st team all pro’s. Manning changed the game with how he prepared for every week, made adjustments at the line of scrimmage, and was feared by defenses and opposing defensive coordinators. He was drafted in 1998 and played in an era that saw players like Troy Polamalu, Ed Reed & Ray Lewis sending receivers and opposing quarterbacks to the emergency room every other week. He saw the game evolve toward a more quarterback-friendly, passing-oriented league but remained dominant throughout. His best weapon was undoubtedly Marvin Harrison, but he had other extremely talented players like the late Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Reggie Wayne, and Dallas Clark to catch passes. The sheriff is undoubtedly an all-time great.

Let’s now look at Aaron Rodgers, widely regarded as having the best/most talented arm in NFL history. Rodgers spent 18 seasons in Green Bay and has at least one more to go with the New York Jets. His resume is impressive, including the best touchdown to interception ratio of all time, four league MVPs, a Super Bowl title, a Super Bowl MVP, the best all-time passer rating, and four first-team all-pros. Rodgers took the reins from Brett Favre and led the Packers to consistent regular season success throughout his tenure, but couldn’t translate it to the postseason, only seeing one title from five championship game appearances. Much like Manning, Rodgers played through an era in the NFL that saw the transition towards a more quarterback-friendly and passing-oriented league, being drafted in 2005. He has been blessed with elite playmakers such as Jordy Nelson, Davante Adams, Randall Cobb, and Greg Jennings throughout his career. Rodgers’ sheer talent and ability to complete seemingly impossible passes has plagued NFL defenses for decades, and assuming his achilles injury doesn’t slow him down, he could have many productive years to go. 

One more all-time great quarterback to examine is Joe Montana, who has been referred to on multiple occasions by Tom Brady as “his idol” or the quarterback that he always tried to emulate. Joe Montana has four Super Bowl rings, with three Super Bowl MVPs, two league MVPs, and three first-team all-pros. Montana was revolutionary, helming the first true “west-coast” style offense that laid the foundation for NFL passing schemes today. Montana had the greatest receiver of all time, Jerry Rice, which resulted in quite possibly the greatest quarterback-receiver tandem of all time. Montana played through the 80’s and 90’s, which was one the most physical eras in football history, and saw some of the greatest talent that the game will ever see. He was dominant throughout his career and is still known as one of the most clutch quarterbacks to ever play the game. Montana is regarded as one of the greatest to ever do it and with good reason. 

Mahomes’ career accolades stack up shockingly well compared to these all-time greats, as well as others that were not mentioned, like Dan Marino or John Elway. Mahomes has more Super Bowl titles and playoff wins than Manning and Rodgers, with the same amount of league and Super Bowl MVPs as Montana, and he’s only entering his eighth season. On paper, it’s hard to argue against Mahomes being in the top three all-time conversation already. The individual statistics, combined with his ability to lead his team in the clutch and make impossible throws cements him as an all-time great. He is now drawing similar “villain” comparisons to Brady, where essentially he’s so good that we hate seeing him win. His career trajectory is the Hall of Fame, but he’s got over a decade to go of maintaining this level of dominance before he can truly be compared to Tom Brady as the greatest quarterback to ever play the game of football.