It’s more or less the consensus at this point that Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the NFL. The reigning Super Bowl MVP has put up per-season averages of 4,848 passing yards, 38 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in five seasons as the Kansas City Chiefs‘ starting quarterback. He’s been league MVP twice and has won just as many Super Bowls.
Patrick Mahomes Lays Out His Top 5 All-Time QBs
It’s safe to say that Mahomes is on a trajectory that’ll land him in the Hall of Fame one day. In fact, if he keeps this level of production up, he’ll likely be regarded as one of the five or 10 best signal-callers in league history.
Which is what made it so interesting when Mahomes disclosed his own top five quarterbacks of all time to Complex’s Ben Felderstein.
“Yeah, I mean, you got to say Tom (Brady)’s one, but if you talk about the legends of the game, Tom, Peyton Manning, obviously Aaron Rogers, Joe Montana, and then it gets down to Dan Marino or John Elway to round off your top five,” Mahomes told Felderstein.
“But I mean, there’s some great quarterbacks that played this game, man, I’m trying to learn from them because even though the game has progressed, there’s still stuff in the past that helps you become a better quarterback.”
Tough to argue much with Mahomes’ rankings. Granted, there’s definitely a modern slant to it, but that makes sense, given Mahomes is all of 27. Nonetheless, the names he mentioned are all widely held among the NFL‘s all-time best.
Each of the quarterbacks mentioned by Mahomes, with the exception of Montana, are top 12 in passing yards and top 14 in passing touchdowns, per ESPN. Montana hovers around 20th in both categories, but he also gains some credibility for his sterling 4-0 record in Super Bowls. Until Brady’s unprecedented reign, Montana was widely regarded as perhaps the best postseason QB ever.
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There are certainly a few other quarterbacks who warrant a mention in this discussion. Troy Aikman (3-0) and Terry Bradshaw (4-0) went a combined 7-0 in Super Bowls. Drew Brees ranks second all-time in passing yards and touchdowns behind only Brady. Brett Favre retired as the leader in most major passing categories and was long lauded for his almost-inconceivable arm talent.
And that’s saying nothing of patriarchs from a bygone era like Bart Starr, Otto Graham, and Johnny Unitas. These debates can continue endlessly; everyone has a different perspective. It’s why rankings like these thrive in the doldrums of the NFL offseason.
But it’s fair to say Mahomes’ rankings hold a little more weight than your average commentator. What remains to be seen is where Mahomes will slot himself when his own career concludes.
Don’t be surprised if it’s in the top five.
