There have been 25 NFL seasons in the 21st century. Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes have combined to win the Super Bowl in 40% of them. No matter which way you slice it, they’ve been the best quarterbacks of the 2000s. But which of them should be the signal-caller of the All-2000s team?
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Based on career totals alone, Brady is the obvious choice. Mahomes’ dynamic start to his career, though, gives him a legitimate argument to be the choice. Yahoo! Sports writer Frank Schwab elected to ride with Brady, and even called the decision “an easy one.”
His colleague, Jason Fitz, couldn’t believe Schwab’s words. He contested them on the Inside Coverage podcast and claimed Mahomes, not Brady, should be the starting quarterback.
“A buddy of mine always says, ‘Tom Brady is the best quarterback of all time. Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback I’ve ever seen play the game of football’… the way Mahomes plays the games at times, I just feel like it’s superhuman,” Jason Fitz stated.
Schwab pounced before Fitz could finish his sentence. He interjected by revealing he shares Fitz’ feelings regarding superhuman play, but not about Mahomes. To him, that’s Aaron Rodgers.
“I’m not denigrating Mahomes. Like, Mahomes is unbelievable, right? But go back and watch Aaron Rodgers. Some of the throws he made when he was at the peak of his athleticism, it’s legitimately unbelievable. Like, how does a human being throw a football like that? He was everything. His 2011 season, I’ve said, is the best a quarterback can ever play. It was absolute perfection.” – Frank Schwab
In 2011, Rodgers completed 68.3% of his passes for 4,643 yards. Add in 45 touchdown passes to just six interceptions, and you get the best single-season passer rating (122.5) in NFL history. That campaign earned him the first of four MVP awards.
Aaron Rodgers’ 2011 regular season was absolutely bananas. pic.twitter.com/IfqIojK3gP
— Barry (@BarryOnHere) November 30, 2021
Nine years later, Rodgers posted the second-highest single season passer rating of all-time (121.5) and won his third MVP trophy. Despite those feats, he has a ceiling in these GOAT debates because of playoff results. His one Super Bowl triumph pales in comparison to Brady’s seven and Mahomes’ three. However, Schwab mentioning Rodgers’ greatness did help his case for picking Brady as his quarterback.
Highest Pass TD/INT Ratios in a season this century:
2018 Aaron Rodgers: 12.5
2024 Lamar Jackson: 10.3
2020 Aaron Rodgers: 9.6
2021 Aaron Rodgers: 9.3
2010 Tom Brady: 9.0
2014 Aaron Rodgers: 7.6
2011 Aaron Rodgers: 7.5
2019 Aaron Rodgers: 6.5(min. 25 Pass TDs) pic.twitter.com/zzxsHZzccX
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) February 15, 2025
It’s entirely possible that Mahomes eventually surpasses Brady statistically. Topping Tom Terrific in Super Bowl titles feels more improbable. But until he does, Brady — like Schwab says — is the clear answer.