“Is He Better Than Aaron Rodgers? Yes”: JJ Watt Reckons Patrick Mahomes Can Surpass NFL Greats This Season Only, But There’s a Catch

With Patrick Mahomes on his way to the fourth SuperBowl in five years, are we watching history unfold? Most importantly, could he usurp the GOAT Tom Brady? While former DE JJ Watt has the philosophy of ‘never say never,’ he thinks Mahomes outdoing Tom Brady in his career is still a distant dream.

A Mahomes-led Chiefs captured yet another AFC title on Sunday, leading to the Brady v Mahomes discussion to rear its head again. Mahomes has been compared to the NFL GOAT for a long time now. As he advances in his career, it is becoming extremely obvious that he is on par with some of the best QBs in NFL history. While Watt agrees with this sentiment, he believes Mahomes still has a long way to go to get to Brady’s level.

In a CBS interview, the former DE aired his thoughts on Mahomes’ level in comparison with other QBs. Unsurprisingly, he put Mahomes above most QBs (if he were to win this year’s SB), including Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Terry Bradshaw, and even Peyton Manning. But he drew the line at Brady and Joe Montana,

“He’s in the ‘Tom Brady- Joe Montana’ level of quarterback. Just look at the playoff wins he’s had. If he wins the Super Bowl this year, that means that he is only behind Tom Brady, Joe Montana in total playoff wins ever and he’s still only 28.”

The 28-year-old has beaten plenty of teams in the playoffs and has only been trumped two times by the GOAT QB himself. Mahomes is right behind Montana in playoff wins, but as Watt points out, the gap between Mahomes and Brady is just too large, with the former Patriots QB leading with a crazy 21 playoff wins margin. If Mahomes keeps playing like he is, he could easily surpass Montana next season.

Tom Brady fortunately spent most of his career relatively injury-free and healthy. Mahomes would have to hope for the same good health for a long time to rival Brady’s playoff record. However, if we look at the pace: 14 wins in 17 games for Mahomes to Brady’s 35 wins in 48 games, the Chiefs’ star QB is on the right track.

The 2023-24 Playoffs Become Milestone-Heavy for Patrick Mahomes

Mahomes has blown it out of the park with his showing in the playoffs this year. With a mediocre regular season, the Chiefs were still able to blow up in the playoffs. Mahomes is becoming somewhat of a permanent fixture in the playoffs, and this year, the young QB once again broke all numbers of records. He might be behind Montana in playoff wins, but he’s on par with the legendary quarterback in another stat.

With a 100.5 quarterback rating on Sunday, it became the 12th time he’s reached that mark in the playoffs, right alongside Montana’s record. However, Brady still remained way ahead at 19 times. When he takes the Super Bowl field again against the 49ers in Vegas, he will also become the first quarterback in NFL history to start four Super Bowls before turning 30, per NFL Research.

He and his trusty target TE Travis Kelce have already surpassed the iconic duo of Gronk and Brady for the most postseason touchdowns for a receiver/QB duo, at 16 touchdowns this postseason. This postseason has been a time of plenty for the Chiefs and the quarterback. And while the definitive answer to the Brady v Mahomes debate won’t come for years still, Patrick has definitely made it into the NFL history books.