The GOAT debate in any sport will never be objective. However, there's one thing that athletes can use to have their names in the conversation- titles.
On Sunday, NFL fanatics opened a can of worms by bringing up Patrick Mahomes' GOAT status.
His team, the Kansas City Chiefs, just won a back-to-back Super Bowl after trouncing the San Francisco 49ers in overtime, 25-22.
The victory gave the 28-year-old quarterback his third Super Bowl and third Finals MVP.
He entered a new level for that, and many fans thought that should be enough for him to earn a seat at the table that Tom Brady eats at. Well, at least to those who saw his game against the Niners.
Recency bias, maybe?
Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys called him the GOAT. Former NFL coach Nate Tice said before Sunday that if the Chiefs win, he can take over Brady and the NFL's greatest ever.
The Chiefs' QB is aware of the discussions, but he dismissed them, saying he still has a lot of work to do to get to his level.
"I'm not even close to halfway, so I haven't put a lot of thought into it," Mahomes said. "Your goal is to be the best player 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."
Brady is currently the consensus greatest of all time for many because of his awards.
He has the most Super Bowl wins and did it with two teams. Mahomes currently has three.
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In terms of individual accolades, Brady still got his numbers. Brady has five Super Bowl MVPs against Mahomes' three. The retired player also has three regular-season MVPs against the Chiefs star's two.
As said above, the GOAT debate can be very subjective. To some, Mahomes should get the title for his efficiency.
However, his GOAT status can only be cemented through the titles.
The question now is, can he do it?
Mahomes can win more titles quicker
The area where Mahomes has Brady defeated is efficiency.
He is achieving everything there is to accomplish for a professional American football player at a faster rate.
He already has three titles at the age of 28 to match Brady's at the same age.
He also has more passing yards, touchdowns, regular-season records, MVP awards, conference championship games, conference championship wins, and Super Bowl MVPs under his current age.
Brady got to where he is because of longevity, which is something Mahomes can achieve, too.
The Chiefs QB came to the league in 2017 and has been playing at a high level since then. The better part, too, is he is always healthy, having undergone just one injury so far.
The longevity is achievable for him. However, the Chiefs must ensure they will always be in contention while they still have their superstar QB.
Mahomes signed a 10-year, $450 million contract extension in 2020. Six more years of him and winning the Super Bowl in four of those is achievable.
If Mahomes equals the total titles won by Brady, that title GOAt will be undisputed because of how he won them.
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