Cris Collinsworth Lays Out What Patrick Mahomes Must Do to Overtake Tom Brady as the GOAT

This won’t be easy to achieve.
Cris Collinsworth Lays Out What Patrick Mahomes Must Do to Overtake Tom Brady as the GOAT
Cris Collinsworth Lays Out What Patrick Mahomes Must Do to Overtake Tom Brady as the GOAT /

Cris Collinsworth set a high bar for what it will take for Patrick Mahomes to be considered the greatest quarterback of all time.

Collinsworth, whose love for the Chiefs QB has been well-documented, was asked by popular radio host Dan Patrick on Wednesday what it would take for Mahomes to top Tom Brady as the sport’s greatest quarterback. The Sunday Night Football analyst doesn’t believe Mahomes needs to match Brady’s seven Super Bowl rings, but did say he thinks the Chiefs quarterback needs to get close, mentioning five rings as a threshold for Mahomes to potentially top Brady.

Former Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady talks with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes after a game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady greets Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes after a game at Raymond James Stadium in 2022 :: Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA TODAY Sports

“[Mahomes] doesn’t necessarily have to get seven, eight, whatever the case may be, but he’d have to win at least five,” Collinsworth said.

According to Collinsworth, Mahomes can add to his résumé later in his career by winning even after the likes of Andy Reid and Travis Kelce retire. He also credited Brady’s Super Bowl win with the Buccaneers as a major feather in the cap of the legendary quarterback’s GOAT case.

“I think Tom [Brady] going to Tampa and winning another one set the bar really high,” Collinsworth said. “I still think [Mahomes] has a chance. He can do some really magical things.”

Mahomes already has two championship rings at just 28 years old, so he has plenty of time to push toward Collinsworth’s stated goal of five championships. Something tells me this debate isn’t going away anytime soon, as long as Mahomes maintains the same level he has played at to start his career. 


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Kevin Sweeney
KEVIN SWEENEY

Kevin Sweeney is a staff writer at Sports Illustrated covering college basketball and the NBA draft. He joined the SI staff in July 2021 and also serves host and analyst for The Field of 68. Sweeney is a Naismith Trophy voter and ia member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.