Patrick Mahomes’ Legacy: Perspective and Retrospective
So far in his relatively young NFL career, Patrick Mahomes has already established himself on the shortlist of all-time elite quarterbacks. Having been named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first six years as a starter and was first team All-Pro and MVP twice behind two of the greatest passing seasons of all time. This combines with winning three Super Bowls and thrice being the game MVP, resulting in a very elite albeit brief resume.
Starting with the MVPs only four quarterbacks since the merger have won the award as much or more than Mahomes. Of those only two have won more Super Bowls. I’m sure for those who know their NFL history two names immediately come to mind. Mainly Tom Brady and Joe Montana, the latter who is already in the Hall of Fame and the former who is going to be there the moment he achieves eligibility. If Mahomes wins this upcoming Super Bowl he would tie Montana for second most championships among NFL quarterbacks.
Quarterback wins are very much a team-dependent stat but, for what it’s worth so are traditional counting stats. If a team has elite receivers or if they find themselves trailing in a lot of games it would stand to reason that their passing stats are inflated. So for this exercise when we’re trying to make an empirical observation while qualifying or quantifying data the easiest thing to do is just use counting stats. If we do that then Mahomes has two of the best passing seasons of all time with over 5000 yards. However, this is not the be-all end-all if so then Drew Brees would be the greatest quarterback of all time. There is a certain unqualifiable and inevitable feeling that comes along with watching certain elite athletes compete.
Mahomes has that quality. Allowing me to editorialize I have to say there are only three other athletes I’ve seen in my lifetime who have had that same feeling. Tom Brady with the New England Patriots, Usain Bolt in the 100m dash at the Olympics, and LeBron James with the Cavaliers willing his team to victory over the Golden State Warriors. Using this specific metric he has already established himself as one of the greatest QBs in NFL history.
At some point down the line knock on wood, health permitting, Mahomes’ counting stats will reach the level of the other titans from the league’s past. As far as for now if the Chiefs win their third in a row and fourth of this dynasty it will cement him, in regards to winning, as one of the most prolific quarterbacks of all time. Based on what he has done so far Mahomes has already done enough to qualify for the Hall of Fame comparing his career to Kurt Warner based on total stats and games started. Extrapolating what Mahomes has done over the next few years if the Chiefs win that fourth Super Bowl there would be no denying that he is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time cementing himself as at least top two if not number one.
