Michael Jordan’s perfect 6-0 NBA Finals record is the modern championship bar for professional athletes. Patrick Mahomes’ Super Bowl LV loss eliminated him from ever being able to reach such a threshold. However, his Super Bowl LIX defeat on Sunday has had a drastically worse impact on his legacy.
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Mahomes now stands at 3-2 in Super Bowls. He now, by many, has been completely exorcised from the league’s GOAT conversation. His former teammate Mitchell Schwartz doesn’t see things that way, though. The nine-year NFL veteran ranted on Twitter/X about people “diminishing” Mahomes’ accomplishments despite the “best 7 year start to a career.”
Someone is going to have to explain to me how a 29 year old’s legacy is tarnished because after the best 7 year start to a career and getting closer than anyone in history to winning 3 straight Super Bowls, one bad game from basically the entire team diminishes that legacy??
— Mitchell Schwartz (@MitchSchwartz71) February 11, 2025
Schwartz continued backing Mahomes in a lengthy seven-post thread. He pointed out how Tiger Woods “missed cuts” and Tom Brady “missed the playoffs his 2nd year starting.” Schwartz added that “football is too interconnected” to tarnish Mahomes’ legacy off one performance and claimed “no one is repeating [Jordan’s] 6-0” feat.
It feels like we’re trying to blend MJ and Brady and hold Pat to that standard. No one is repeating 6-0. Brady didn’t do it. No one else will, especially in football. Football is too interconnected, 1 game is too small. Jordan had 7 games to make sure his team won. Too different.
— Mitchell Schwartz (@MitchSchwartz71) February 11, 2025
The manner in which Mahomes lost dealt a bigger blow to his aura than the loss itself. He played terribly in the first half before bolstering his stats after he fell behind 34-0. That said, it’s important to remember Mahomes hasn’t turned 30 yet. He still has plenty of time to reinsert himself in the GOAT running throughout the back half of his career.
How do Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady compare through age-29 campaigns?
It’s important to note Brady and Mahomes began their career in unique NFL eras. Brady also played for defensive-oriented Bill Belichick while Mahomes has thrived alongside offensive-focused Andy Reid. Those differences play a role in Mahomes’ regular season production dwarfing Brady’s through age-29.
Comparison of Tom Brady’s stats through his age-29 season to Patrick Mahomes’ stats through age-29.@TheSportsRushUS pic.twitter.com/NxKOBWbTgk
— Braden Ramsey (@braden_ramsey) February 12, 2025
Mahomes also has more “awards and honors” than Brady to this point of their respective professional tenures. If the GOAT were decided on who had the best career before turning 30, Mahomes would win in a landslide. But that’s obviously not how it works.
Brady played 16 seasons after hitting age-30. He won three MVPs, finished second in MVP voting four times and captured four Lombardi Trophies over that stretch. Mahomes’ start is tremendous, but he may have to raise his game to stay ahead and eventually match Brady. He can regroup this offseason for 2025 with that in mind.
