Patrick Mahomes achieved glory with the Kansas City Chiefs once again last season as he got his hands on his second Super Bowl ring since 2020.
Widely recognised as the best quarterback in the league – and maybe the only one able to match Tom Brady’s legacy – the two-time MVP has carried the Chiefs on his back since 2018.
The most recent NFL odds have him as favourite to win his third MVP award in 2023.
Arriving in 2017 as the 10th overall pick, Mahomes forwent his final year of college to declare for the draft. His incredible arm strength was on show at the combine as he tied the record for the fastest pass at 60mph.
In his final year at Texas Tech, he tied the record for single-game passing yards with 734 as well as breaking the record for single-game total offensive yards with 819 in the same game against Oklahoma. The number of records he has broken in the relatively short amount of time in the NFL is staggering.
He holds the NFL records for (take a deep breath…):
Consecutive 300-plus passing yard games: 8 (tied); consecutive double digit deficits overcome including playoffs: 6; fastest to 10,000 career passing yards: 34 games; fastest to 15,000 career passing yards: 49 games; fastest to 20,000 career passing yards: 67 games; fastest to 100 career touchdowns: 40 games; career playoff passer rating (minimum 150 attempts): 107.4 ; career passer rating (minimum 1,500 attempts): 105.7; career passing yards per game (minimum 1,500 attempts): 303.0; passing yards in a player's first 50 games: 15,348; passing touchdowns in a player's first 50 games: 125; passing touchdowns in a postseason: 11 (2021) (tied); total touchdowns (passing and rushing) in a postseason: 12 (2019, 2021); total yards (passing and rushing) in a season: 5,608 (2022). Phew!
The number of records he has broken in the relatively short amount of time in the NFL is staggering
Heading into the 2023/24 season, he is in position to break two further records. If he can lead the Chiefs to another 12-win season, he'll have the most wins by a quarterback in their first seven NFL seasons. Additionally, he needs just 29 passing touchdowns next season to break the record for the most in a player's first seven seasons. He has passed for at least 37 touchdowns in all but one of his seasons since becoming the starting QB at Arrowhead as well as notching up consecutive 12-win seasons.
Last season was one of the best of Mahomes’ career and highlighted his incredible hunger, grit and determination. In his second MVP-winning season, he finished with a passer rating of 105.2 with 5,250 yards, 41 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 17 regular season games
It was his incredible postseason performances that impressed the most however. An ankle sprain hampered much of his game time in the divisional round, but returned in the second half and helped the Chiefs to victory. Come the AFC Championship game, that injury was still there with Mahomes hobbling through much of the game. He managed to lead his team to yet another win, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat in the dying embers of the game.
He again reaggravated the injury in the Super Bowl, however, you guessed it, he yet again led the Chiefs to victory. He essentially played the entire postseason injured and through sheer willpower managed not just to stay on the field for a majority of minutes but be the best player on it.
Though a fierce competitor and one of the best athletes in the world, there is still a human side to the two-time Super Bowl winner. A dedicated family man, he has two children with his wife, childhood sweetheart Brittany Mahomes. His 15 and the Mahomies foundation, established by the man himself in 2019, is “dedicated to improving the lives of children. The Foundation supports initiatives that focus on health, wellness, communities in need of resources and other charitable causes”. For all of his success and for all he is bound to achieve in the future, it could not happen to a nicer guy.
All of his achievements so far point towards him being the heir apparent to Tom Brady as he continues to forge his own legacy in the league. At just 27, he still has a tonne of miles left in the tank and with two Super Bowl rings at 27, he is already on a Brady-like trajectory.
While Brady’s seven rings may be hard to catch up to, it is not just silverware that should determine this. Mahomes and Brady are cut from the same cloth. They are chameleons when it comes to offensive lines, with Mahomes having played with a vastly differing lineup in his respective Super Bowl wins. Brady was known for this in his playing days, breaking in new faces every few seasons. They are both team-first leaders, encouraging their teams to structure their contracts in a way which would allow flexibility. While it may be possible that no quarterback ever eclipses Brady, there has never been a bigger threat than Patrick Mahomes.
