I realize it’s a bit basic. Sometimes, though, it really is that easy.

Gaze at the scoreboard, please.

Tom Brady has won seven Super Bowls.
Mahomes has won two Super Bowls.

Even though Mahomes’ number flips to three when he plays the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, it still seems rather certain. Mahomes acknowledged the significant disparity.

He said, “I’m not even close to halfway,” when asked if he had surpassed Brady on Monday’s Super Bowl Opening Night. “I’ll try to reach seven when you ask me that question in around fifteen years. However, seven feels a long way off.”

That settles the easy portion of this debate, isn’t that right? I understand that some people are inclined to elevate the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback based on their observations.

However, it’s too soon. Far too soon. It’s actually not up for debate yet. Now let’s go back to the exchange that occurred after he received his seven rings, which, in Mahomes’ words, seemed extremely far away.

“Do I ever witness it occurring? Chad Henne, a former quarterback with the Chiefs, told FOX Sports on Monday, “Probably not.” “I’m not claiming it is impossible to accomplish. But let’s consider an accomplishment that is utterly ridiculous in a practical manner. Do I believe Patrick is the kind of guy who could succeed there? Indeed. However, it’s practically a statute that isn’t realistic.”

At the conclusion of Super Bowl LVIII, Mahomes won’t be considered the greatest of all time. For a few years, he won’t even be a genuine candidate to be named the Game of the Century. Just?

We may now discuss what makes the discussion interesting and challenging.

He has shown us greatness that I haven’t seen in anyone since Brady.

How close is Mahomes to GOAT status?

It reminds me a little bit of the draft analogies. It all comes down to the idea of possibility.

Draft analysts project a quarterback’s potential by comparing prospects.Caleb Williams, this year’s top-ranked choice overall, will make people think of Patrick Mahomes.Draftniks will perceive Drake Maye as the next Aaron Rodgers.Although there are some similarities between Jayden Daniels and Kirk Cousins, Dak Prescott, and even Lamar Jackson, there are no clear comparisons.

We speak extensively about tangible tools during draft season. (In actuality, SZN already has a physical tool.) We’re already discussing arm strength, hand size, and the 40-yard dash, with the Senior Bowl well underway and the combine only a few weeks away. It’s tangible enough to evaluate a player’s ability to move through the game.

What relevance does this have to the GOAT controversy, then?

I believe that Mahomes’ intangible tools only compare to Brady’s, just as Williams’ tangible tools are equivalent to Mahomes’. Mahomes, therefore has a genuine chance to challenge Brady for the Super Bowl record.

It’s not like when Zach Wilson was referred to as “the Morman Mahomes” by draft analysts. We tend to overestimate ourselves, don’t we? However, the reason projections resemble mirages is just that. Even with all of his present momentum, it is uncertain if Mahomes can reach his full potential. In the same way that it’s unclear if Williams will end up being anything like Mahomes.

However, there is one more intriguing similarity between Brady and Mahomes’ journeys. Both of them have pushed the limits of quarterbacking, occasionally altering the game’s rules and redefining what is possible. Brady used the appropriate quantity of unprocessed tools and extreme mental acuity to accomplish it.

It’s possible that Brady is the best pocket quarterback in history.

But I contend that Mahomes has transformed the quarterback position much more than Brady did.

With more tools, Mahomes appears to possess the same level of mental acuity. Mahomes has a larger arm. Brady is smaller than him and he is speedier. Indeed, it is evident that 99% of NFL quarterbacks arrive in the league with a more “pro ready” appearance than Brady, who seemed at the 2000 Indianapolis Scouting Combine like a father of three who had spent too much time drinking and smoking on his speedboat. However, Mahomes employs his physical tools in a way that is unprecedented among players.

The most inventive quarterback in history is Patrick Mahomes.

He’s not merely another quarterback with better tools than Brady. With the right equipment and mental toughness, Mahomes can match Brady’s legend. We know this for a straightforward reason: Mahomes will be playing in his fourth Super Bowl after starting for six years in the NFL. And by Sunday night, perhaps he’ll have three trophies. Brady also had four Super Bowl appearances and three championships by the time he entered his fourth season as a starter. Brady was younger than Mahomes when he scored his third. So, Brady is superior to the Chiefs quarterback in a couple ways. Mahomes still has time, though.

Fans of “Embrace Debate” everywhere will be pleased if Brady and Mahomes win the same amount of Super Bowls. For even though Mahomes has the physical advantage, Brady will always have the upper hand in head-to-head postseason confrontations, unless he decides to come back from retirement. In postseason play, Brady went 2-0 against Mahomes, winning the Super Bowl following the 2020 campaign and the AFC Championship Game in a shootout during Mahomes’ rookie campaign (following the 2018 season).

Brady’s declaration of his greatness raises possible concerns about Mahomes’ future.

But Mahomes has been motivated by those postseason setbacks. Mahomes seems to have been studying Brady for his greatness, much way quarterbacks study Brady for his mechanics. For those unseen deeds Brady performed.

When questioned about Brady around this time last year during an NFL Network interview, Mahomes responded, “Not everything has to go the perfect way.” “He simply manages to prevail. Observing that personally in the AFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl has kind of motivated me to perform even better than I believe I am capable of.”

After the AFC championship game, Henne recalled Brady approaching Mahomes in the Chiefs’ locker room and the transformation that resulted.

“He just wanted to talk to Patrick and say what a great player he is, happy to see such a young [player] have such success,” Henne stated. That, in a sense, is what I believe actually motivated Patrick to resemble Tom. He was probably inspired to say, “Hey, I can be just like him, and I was so near in that moment that it’s just going to drive me throughout the rest of my career,” by hearing someone of that caliber say something like that about you.”

Nevertheless, if Mahomes reached seven titles—a feat that most people believed would last for many decades—I doubt he would be grumbling.

In the NFL Network interview, Mahomes stated, “I don’t know about seven Super Bowls.” “So that’s pretty wild, but I’ll try to do whatever I can to be in as many games as possible.”

Patrick Mahomes the greatest football player of all time?

The journey to seven Super Bowl victories is an arduous one. And it would be truly amazing if Brady’s record were to drop to a quarterback who not only faced him in the Super Bowl but also played against him. However, Mahomes’ status as the top prospect right now does not make him a lock to win the Super Bowl.

It’s because he is as historically excellent as they come at this stage in his career. He’s going to break all previous pace records. Every season he has started, he has made an appearance in the AFC Championship Game. And Mahomes has done just that, despite some people’s initial doubts about how he would manage the part of his career where he would have to step up when his contract uses the majority of the salary cap. This year’s receiving corps is not good, as you can see.

Fortunately, Mahomes, who is 28 years old, appears to be just getting started. The bad news is that as well.

Mahomes still needs to win every Super Bowl, even though he still has plenty of time to win five or maybe six more. And that’s where Mahomes gets both excited and stressed out. On Sunday, he will have another chance to move in the right way.

Mahomes has a ways to go before he can catch the GOAT, though.