Patrick Mahomes Can’t Take the GOAT Crown Away from Tom Brady Just by Achieving Three-Peat: Kevin Clark

Could Patrick Mahomes take over from Tom Brady as the GOAT of football? While he is definitely projected to overtake Brady as the greatest of all time, can Mahomes achieve that this season with a third consecutive Lombardi? ESPN’s Kevin Clark thinks it’s going to take more than just a three-peat for Mahomes to get to that coveted spot.

Former NFL defensive lineman Chris Canty boldly stated during a recent episode of the ‘Unsportsmanlike’ podcast that Patrick Mahomes will be the GOAT if he leads the Kansas City Chiefs to an unprecedented third consecutive championship in Super Bowl LIX. Canty added that doing so would catapult him over Tom Brady in the G.O.A.T. conversation because the NFL’s structure, mainly the hard salary cap, fosters parity.

However, Canty’s colleague, Kevin Clark, thinks otherwise, saying that the debate regarding Brady or Mahomes as the greatest won’t end even if the latter wins his fourth Super Bowl title this season. In the latest episode of ‘Get Up,’ Clark reiterated that Brady had seven Super Bowl titles and won his last (and presumably last) Vince Lombardi Trophy at 43. He explained,

“Mahomes’ career has a lot of twists and turns to go. He has four more rings to catch Brady. He has started the G.O.A.T. debate, we didn’t think was possible. But I don’t think he can be the G.O.A.T. this time next year; that’s impossible. All respect to Chris Canty in your show yesterday; I love the sunglass look; this debate cannot end in a couple of months.”

Championships are the most definite yardstick of success in sports. In that context, it’s tough to put anyone above Brady unless they match his Super Bowl haul. What’s more impressive, and often unsaid, is that Brady played in ten Super Bowls and lost three by a single possession.

Besides, it’s hard to argue against the fact that Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers convincingly defeated Mahomes and the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV. That result strengthens Clark’s argument that Mahomes can’t leapfrog Brady as the NFL’s G.O.A.T even if the Chiefs win another Super Bowl in 2024.

While Clark stated the obvious—no one has come close to what Brady achieved in 23 NFL seasons—Canty presents a plausible argument based on the league’s salary cap policies.

Breaking Down Chris Canty’s Claim on Patrick Mahomes as the G.O.A.T.

Unlike the NBA, which allows teams to exceed the salary cap in exchange for tax penalties, the NFL mandates a hard cap, meaning no team can have the payroll of their top 51 players based on contracts go beyond the specified limit.

This season, the league established the cap at $255.4 million. It’s an increase of over $30 million, giving all NFL teams more room to retain their key players. However, despite the notable jump in the amount teams can spend, some impending challenges make it difficult to pay the top players what they’re worth and keep the bill under the limit.

In the case of Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, they traded Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins because they felt that his price tag would curtail their ability to compete. Hence, Hill earned a four-year, $120 million contract after the trade. However, the Chiefs didn’t feel his absence, as proven by winning Super Bowls LVII and LVIII.

Before the 2024 season, the Chiefs traded cornerback L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans because he was due for a massive payday. Sneed was sensational during Kansas City’s latest Super Bowl run, allowing zero touchdowns in balls thrown at his vicinity during the 2023 regular season. He signed a four-year, $76 million contract after the trade.

Canty alluded to the harsh reality of losing key players when he argued that Patrick Mahomes would be the G.O.A.T. if he completes a three-peat. Despite fielding a revamped and sometimes depleted roster due to the offseason departures, Mahomes continues to will his team to win football’s ultimate prize. And that’s nothing if not a sign of greatness.