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Julian Edelman: Brady vs. Mahomes debate is ‘getting closer’
Edelman acknowledged that the talk about Mahomes and Brady will only get louder if Mahomes wins a fourth Super Bowl in five seasons next month.
Is Tom Brady’s standing as the greatest quarterback of all time facing a challenge?
It’s a thought that is seemingly making the rounds in national circles, which could gain momentum if Patrick Mahomes can lead the Chiefs to the first three-peat in NFL history during Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9.
“Tom Brady didn’t even win back-to-back-to-back Super Bowl titles,” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said last week. “It would be huge for the sport, it would be huge for the city, it would huge for the franchise. And it would cement Patrick Mahomes as the greatest quarterback in the history of the National Football League.”
Speaking on NBC Sports Boston’s “Patriots Talk Podcast” with Tom E. Curran Tuesday, former Patriots wide receiver and three-time Super Bowl champion Julian Edelman acknowledged that the talk about Mahomes and Brady will only get louder if Mahomes wins a fourth Super Bowl in five seasons next month.
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“The argument’s getting closer,” Edelman said. “I mean, if he goes out and three-peats… This is the salary cap era, it’s tough to win consistently in this league. That’s something that no one’s ever done. So it’s going to get closer.”
The Chiefs QB has already cemented himself as one of the greatest QBs in league history, despite only playing seven full seasons as a starter in the NFL.
Even if Mahomes beats the Eagles in New Orleans on Feb. 9, he would still have to secure three more Super Bowl titles to match Brady’s championship haul. But at just 29 years old, Mahomes has put himself on an impressive trajectory.
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Edelman pushed back against Mahomes’ standing with Brady in one aspect, noting that Brady essentially played a role in two separate dynasties with completely different rosters.
“I think that the difference is, Tom had three different Hall of Fame careers and was able to perform at such a high level through so many different forms of adversity, whether it was someone murdering someone or some of the ‘gates’ that we went through, a suspension, it didn’t matter,” Edelman said. “He was able to perform at the highest level no matter what.
“Now, we haven’t seen any crazy adversity for this Kansas City Chiefs team. There’s going to be a time where Travis (Kelce) ain’t there. There’s going to be a time where Chris Jones ain’t going to be there. And then I think that’s when you start evaluating Patrick on if he’s going to get to where Tom’s at, but he’s well on his way.”
Add in the fact that Brady finished his career with a 2-0 career record against Mahomes in the postseason, and the Chiefs QB still has a ways to go if he wants to supplant Brady as the greatest to ever do it.
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