Several NFL stars have chosen between Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes when asked to settle the greatest of all time (GOAT) debate.
Mahomes, 29, is arguably the best quarterback of the modern era but could not stop his side from losing against the Philadelphia Eagles at Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Sunday evening.
The Chiefs fell to a 40-22 defeat at the Caesars Superdrome, ending the Kansas side’s hopes of achieving a historic ‘three-peat’ after having won the 2023 and 2024 editions of the Super Bowl.
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The 29-year-old, who boasts three Super Bowl titles, described the loss as the “worst thing in the world” when speaking to reporters shortly after the game.
"There's no way around it,” said Mahomes. “Anytime you lose a Super Bowl, it's the worst thing in the world... it will stick with you the rest of your career."
"We didn't start how we wanted to,” he added. “The turnovers hurt... I take all the blame for that. Those turnovers swing the moment of the game, and they capitalised on them.
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"They scored on one and got a touchdown immediately after another. That's 14 points I gave them.
"It's hard to come back from that in the Super Bowl. I have to learn from that and try to be better the next opportunity that I hopefully get.
"I didn't play to my standard, and I have to be better next time."
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Despite giving a negative assessment of his own performance, there’s no doubting his ability on the field, so much so that comparisons have been drawn to Brady, 47, who is a seven-time Super Bowl champion.
But who do NFL stars consider to be the best out of the pair?
Well, back in August 2024, 103 football stars took part in a survey to decide who was superior between Brady and Mahomes.
"It's Brady, but if Mahomes three-peats, that's a different story," one AFC South player told ESPN.
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Another said: "No disrespect to Tom ... but I'm taking Pat. Pat can do everything Tom can do, and he's mobile."
"Mahomes is on his way, but he's not there yet," another NFC South player explained. "You can't disrespect Tom Brady. He has seven rings.
"That's a long way to go [for Mahomes].”
The survey found that 85 of the 103 players who took part felt that Brady was the GOAT, seven opted for Mahomes, while “several other players received votes”, according to ESPN.
Topics: NFL, Super Bowl, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes
Luke Alfred Davies