Bledsoe, who Brady surpassed as starter with the New England Patriots, says his old teammate’s longevity is a huge factor

He may not be there just yet, but New England Patriots legend Drew Bledsoe believes Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes is the only player right now who can reach greatest-of-all-time status alongside Tom Brady.

Mahomes, at 28 years old, possesses three Super Bowl rings, including back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023. The GOAT label has been pinned on him by many who believe he is already one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.

However, Brady is arguably the greatest to ever play quarterback in the history of the game, and he has four more Super Bowl rings on his illustrious Hall of Fame resume.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, #15, warms up before the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars on Aug. 10, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. (David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

So, while Bledsoe believes Mahomes has what it takes to reach Brady’s “rarefied air,” he knows one key factor will need to be a part of his career to solidify that status: longevity.

“The amazing thing about Tom and what he was able to do was how long he was able to do it for,” Bledsoe explained while discussing what FanDuel has to offer NFL fans this 2024 season. “The physical demands on a quarterback – compare like Brady and [NBA superstar] LeBron [James] going that long with what they’re doing. They’re very different things from a physical standpoint. Playing quarterback, physically, is not that demanding. You got to take care of yourself and so on.

“The fact that Tom was able to maintain his focus and his attention to detail, and he was able to do the little things over and over and over again for 20-something years, that part is impressive. Because no matter what you do in life, how exciting it is, once you’ve done it long enough, it can get kinda monotonous. Tom was able to keep pushing that entire time.”

Mahomes is still in his prime, and from the outside looking in, he has many years left to give in the NFL. However, to Bledsoe’s point, just how long does Mahomes want to keep playing quarterback?

“For Mahomes, it’s going to be interesting to see how long he wants to do it,” he said. “Whether he wants to go do something else. If he keeps doing what he’s doing, Andy Reid wants to keep coaching for a long time, [tight end Travis] Kelce can keep playing for him, and then they keep replacing and giving him more weapons, he could end up [alongside Brady].”