Patrick Mahomes addresses pursuit of Tom Brady

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes isn't shy about the fact that the NFL feats accomplished by living legend Tom Brady give him "something to strive for every single day." 

Mahomes expanded on that championship mindset during a Monday appearance on NFL Network. 

"Yeah, I think it’s more just me trying to be the best I can be," Mahomes explained, as shared by Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "I don’t want to have any regrets at the end of my career. And I know how great of an organization, how great of a coach, tight end, players that I have around me. And I don’t want to let that slide by. I want to make sure I maximize my opportunities." 

Conversations about Mahomes possibly passing Brady in power rankings of all-time great quarterbacks surfaced long before Kansas City's starter became a three-time Super Bowl champion and a three-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player via the team's 25-22 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers. While Mahomes probably deserves a spot on any Mount Rushmore for signal-callers at the age of 28, it isn't lost on him that Brady retired a seven-time Super Bowl champion and five-time Super Bowl MVP. 

"Obviously, the goal is always seven [rings] — it’s always to try and get as much as you can," Mahomes added. "And so, all I can do is try to maximize my opportunities every single day, continue to work to be better not only for myself but for my team. And we’ll see what happens at the end of my career." 

Brady's obsession with remaining healthy and elite ultimately allowed him to become the oldest quarterback to start a meaningful NFL game at age 45 during the 2022 season, per Jenna Laine of ESPN. Mahomes seemingly has plenty of time before he may need to consider embracing the "TB12 Method" to help him avoid injury issues into his 30s, and his Chiefs first will have an opportunity to do something neither Brady nor anybody else has ever achieved: Three-peat as Super Bowl champions.