Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is receiving tons of praise, and rightfully so, for reaching the Super Bowl for the fourth time in six years as a starting quarterback in the NFL.
It's a tremendous accomplishment, and if the Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday night in Las Vegas, Mahomes will have three Super Bowl titles (and potentially three Super Bowl MVPs) at age 28.
The GOAT debate has been a hot topic this week as fans and media members have compared Mahomes to legendary quarterback Tom Brady. Brady played 23 seasons and set records for playoff wins (35), Super Bowl wins (seven) and Super Bowl MVPs (five).
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Mahomes was asked this week about chasing Brady as the GOAT and matching the former Patriots quarterback's record of seven rings. He gave a thoughtful answer.
"I mean, I'm not even close to halfway, so I haven't put a lot of thought into it," Mahomes told the media Monday at Super Bowl Opening Night. "I mean, your goal is to be the best player that you can be. I know I'm blessed to be around a lot of great players around me.
"And so, right now, it's doing whatever I can to beat a great 49ers team and try to get that third ring. And then if you ask me that question in 15 years, and I'll see if I can get close to seven. But seven seems like a long ways away still."
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The toughest aspect of Mahomes' pursuit of Brady's playoff achievements will be longevity.
Brady was a top 10 quarterback when he retired at 45 years old. He won his seventh Super Bowl at age 43 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and it happened in the middle of a pandemic. He led the league with 43 touchdown passes at age 44.
No one could have expected Brady's tenure with the Patriots -- which featured six Super Bowl titles in nine appearances -- to last as long as it did. Maybe Mahomes' run with the Chiefs will be similar in length, and maybe he will get close to seven rings. But as he admitted, he still has a long way to go.