NEW ORLEANS -- A 29-year-old Patrick Mahomes is on a path to G.O.A.T. status.
It's a path the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback cares not to consider as he moonwalks down the red and gold road to history.
"No, I'm just trying to be the greatest Patrick Mahomes that I can be," he said Monday from Super Bowl LIX Opening Night. "I mean, that's obviously a goal of anyone's, is to be the greatest at their profession, but in order to do that, you have to be the greatest that you can be every single day, and if that's on the field and the work ethic I put in or off the field in the father and husband that I am, I'm gonna try to be the greatest in that way, and whenever I'm done with football, if I leave everything out there the way that I feel like I have so far, as far as effort and mentality, I'll be happy with the results and I'll let others talk about who the greatest is of whatever profession that is."
A victory Sunday over the Philadelphia Eagles would make Mahomes the first quarterback to hoist four Lombardi Trophies before his 30th birthday.
Regardless of the outcome of Sunday's heavyweight bout, Mahomes will already join Tom Brady and John Elway as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to start five-plus Super Bowls. Mahomes will be the first to do so before his 30th birthday -- Brady was 34; Elway was 38.
From Mahomes' point of view, those stats aren't about him but rather the team. Passing Brady as the G.O.A.T. would just be a lasting reflection of a dynastic club.
"I care more about the legacy of our team," he said. "You know, we've put in so much work and worked so hard that I want to be remembered for the team that we are and the team that we built here in Kansas City. I never really think about my legacy; I think about all the guys that I've played with and how they've kind of left their imprint on this team and I want us to be remembered for that."
Looking to become the first three-peat Super Bowl champions, the Chiefs have garnered their share of haters. Mahomes dismissed being the "villain" several times on Monday night, noting that if people hate winners, that's on them.
"I don't even think it's embracing being in the villains," he said. "We embrace who we are, and we believe we play the game the right way. We believe that we play with a lot of heart and a lot of passion for the game and then we win football games. If winning football games makes you a villain, we're gonna keep going out there and doing it."
The three-time Super Bowl MVP gets now what the New England Patriots went through during their decades-long run. He also understands all too well the bitterness of some fans toward a giant that seemingly can't be slain.
"It's all fun because I was that guy. I was a Cowboys fan growing up, and I used to hate the Patriots," he said. "I think more than anything, I appreciate the greatness of the Patriots more now when I see how hard it was to do what they did. But we just go out there and play the game that we love, the way that we feel like is the right way and all the other stuff is kind of outside noise. Hopefully we're just giving people a great product to watch, and they can see the love for the game that we have."
Mahomes must continue to stack wins to eventually pass Brady.
The Chiefs QB currently has 17 playoff victories (No. 2 all time) and three Super Bowl wins, well behind TB12's 35 postseason victories and seven Lombardis. A win on Sunday, however, would get Mahomes much closer, much earlier in his career.
It's the longevity of Brady's winning ways that Mahomes takes the most away from the current G.O.A.T.
"You know, as I've watched the greats, I think more than anything, it's just to be able to win," Mahomes said. "I know that sounds easy, but to be able to win with a team that's around you is something that's special and that the greatest do, and I think I learned that the most from Tom Brady. He did whatever it took to win the football game, and as a quarterback, that's what you have to be and that's what I've learned over my career."
