NFL
Patrick Mahomes’ on being compared to Tom Brady
“If you come back to me in 10 years, I might be able to have this conversation a little bit better with you,” says the QB who copies Brady’s contract philosophy
With his impressive achievements in just seven NFL seasons, Patrick Mahomes is often seen as a future contender for the title of the greatest of all time, alongside Tom Brady. However, Mahomes humbly acknowledges that he still has a long way to go in his career before being compared to the seven-time Super Bowl champion.
In a recent interview with NFL insider Albert Breer, Mahomes expressed deep respect for Brady’s accomplishments, indicating he shouldn’t even be compared to him.
“I’ve had a great start,” Mahomes says. “I’ve been put in a great situation early in my career. Not a lot of guys get to be put in this type of situation. But I have a long ways to go. I know I’m going into Year 7, but Tom did it until he was 45 years old. I’m 27, so I know there’s a long ways to go before I can even be put in that conversation. I just got to continue to work and get better year in and year out.
“If you come back to me in 10 years, I might be able to have this conversation a little bit better with you,” said the two-time MVP.
It’s a clear message about how the 27-year-old from Texas respects Brady and what he’s achieved in the sport, as well as a reflection of his humble personality.
But in some ways, Mahomes is intentionally copying Brady.
Mahomes using the Brady model: winning over money
Currently, Mahomes is widely regarded as the best quarterback in the NFL. And to a lot of people’s surprise, he cares more about winning than money.
In a recent interview, Mahomes revealed that he shares Brady’s philosophy when it comes to contracts – he’s not solely focused on maximizing his earnings and is willing to forego taking every penny he can get.
Related: Cooper Kupp is expected to be out for a few weeks following a hamstring tweak during practice
“I’ve looked at Tom’s model and how he did it,” Mahomes said. “That’s it -- you want to make money for yourself and for your family. You want to keep pushing the market forward for other quarterbacks. You don’t want to be someone that they [use against other players]. But at the same time, I want these other guys to get paid. I want Chris Jones to be in training camp. I want Travis Kelce to always be making money. I want everybody on the team here. I have a great offensive line. It’s everything around me.”
In other words, Mahomes isn’t the highest-paid QB, and he is content with the idea of winning over money.