Where Mahomes, Reid and Kelce land in GOAT debates, plus a glance at free agency, Superdome history
Inside: How Kansas City’s current stars compare to the GOATs, an initial free agency primer and New Orleans’ storied Superdome, which has hosted ___ Super Bowls? (Hint: It’s more than five. Answer below.)
Quick update before we begin: Kirk Cousins said yesterday that a shoulder injury in Week 10 affected his play, and that he never returned to full strength. That explains a lot. Full story here.
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GOAT Debates: How KC’s big three stack up
Longevity matters. I’ve always believed it’s premature to rank careers until they’ve ended, since performance remains subject to change, for better or worse.
Take Tom Brady, for example. Had he retired at the reasonable age of 36, he would’ve had (almost literally) half the career he finished with. Combining regular-season and postseason stats:
- Brady, under 36: 13 seasons, three Super Bowl wins (two game MVPs), 55,521 passing yards, 402 TDs, one MVP and eight Pro Bowls
- Brady, 36 and over: 10 seasons, four Super Bowl wins (three game MVPs), 51,859 yards, 361 TDs, one MVP and seven Pro Bowls
Heck, each period rivals Joe Montana’s entire career, and either would have gotten Brady into the Hall of Fame. Combined? It’s indisputable; Brady’s the greatest to ever do it.
But in his rearview mirror — and gaining quickly — is 29-year-old Patrick Mahomes. An eventual overtaking feels inevitable, but it’s still remote and uncertain.
No quarterback has ever had more career passing yards per game than Mahomes, who is outpacing Brady in nearly every statistical category and has won at a better clip. Last year, Mahomes beat Brady by five years as the youngest player to win two MVP awards and three Super Bowls.
A win this Sunday would give him an unprecedented four Lombardi trophies before 30 — more than seven years ahead of Brady.
Verdict: Brady remains the GOAT, followed by a tier with Peyton Manning, Otto Graham, Mahomes, Joe Montana and Johnny Unitas. In the end, it might simply come down to how long Mahomes keeps playing.
For more, Austin Mock makes a strong case for why Mahomes is the playoff GOAT.
Plenty of other Chiefs also deserve to share some credit for Mahomes’ success. First on that list: Andy Reid. No coach has identified and developed quarterbacks as consistently. Reid famously traded up for Mahomes, but before that, he …
- Drafted Donovan McNabb, a six-time Pro Bowler.
- Made the playoffs with Jeff Garcia in McNabb’s stead.
- Signed Michael Vick, who finished second in MVP voting after two years out of football.
- Traded for Alex Smith, a middling 49ers QB who’d lead the NFL in passer rating under Reid.
Only two coaches have 200-plus regular-season wins and three Super Bowl titles: Reid and Bill Belichick, who are also the two leaders in playoff wins. (Reid’s 28 could soon eclipse Belichick’s 31.)
Reid has also been the best ever at winning for two different franchises, having taken the Eagles and Chiefs to four consecutive (!!) conference championship games each.
Dan Pompei explains how Reid has earned his place among the greats by emulating their best traits: “In Reid, we can see the resiliency of Belichick, the ability to maximize others of Shula, the quarterback mastery of Bill Walsh and Mike Holmgren and the relatability of John Madden.”
Reid is now one victory away from accomplishing what no coach ever has: three consecutive Super Bowl wins.
Verdict: Belichick still reigns, and then there are cases for Paul Brown, Bill Walsh, Vince Lombardi and Don Shula. With a win on Sunday, Reid cements his face on the Mount Rushmore of coaches. (Don’t ask me right now which two of these coaches I’m leaving off of it.) Plus the 66-year-old has two things in his favor here: time and Mahomes.
With apologies to six-time Pro Bowl DE Chris Jones and Kansas City’s other veterans, there’s only one other member of this Chief dynasty who has frequently appeared in GOAT discussions (and commercials). Here he was a year ago, sharing a tender moment with Reid:
An all-time great receiving threat, Travis Kelce leads all tight ends ever in yards per game and ranks third among them in receptions (1,004), yards (12,151) and Pro Bowls (10).
While he ranks behind only Tony Gonzalez in PFR’s Hall of Fame monitor score, he’s yet to match the longevity of Gonzalez or Antonio Gates, and lacks the blocking of a Rob Gronkowski or league-changing impact of Mike Ditka.
Verdict: Kelce’s a Hall of Fame player, but to me he’s likely at the bottom of the tier with Gonzalez, Gronkowski, John Mackey, Kellen Winslow and Ditka. The 35-year-old also feels unlikely to climb much higher.
But as a whole, where does this Kansas City trio rank against other legendary groups? (Think: Bill Walsh, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice). Click here to vote.
Free Agency Glance
After the Super Bowl, we’ll look ahead to March’s free agency period in more detail, but the biggest names are also on our minds now. The 26-year-old Tee Higgins is longer this offseason’s best available player, an honor newly claimed by Browns DE Myles Garrett, but Higgins remains 2025’s most attractive free agent.
Don’t take my word for it. Check around our beat reporters’ coverage for evidence of interest from receiver-needy teams. In New England, Chad Graff notes, “It’s hard to imagine any team being more motivated than the Patriots.” They’ll likely need to outbid the Broncos, Chargers and Panthers, too.
There’s also a good chance Higgins sticks in Cincinnati. Those odds skyrocketed after Joe Burrow insisted the Bengals “just can’t let him get out of the building.”
Offenses in need will also be watching these two:
- Chiefs G Trey Smith (age 25) — whose NFL dream almost never happened — is one of the best interior linemen and should be the No. 1 target for any team needing to improve their line (hint hint, Chicago).
- Vikings QB Sam Darnold (27) is free agency’s biggest question mark. How much credit for his 2024 success do you give to the Vikings? We’ll find out this offseason, when a weak QB draft makes him one of the better options. These are his potential destinations.
As for a theoretical NFL trade that could resemble the NBA’s shocking Luka Dončić deal, most of you responded to our poll by finding its closest comp to be this: Josh Allen to the Steelers for T.J. Watt and a third-rounder.
For Buffalo’s sake, I hope we never see it: “As a Bills fan, this would have me breaking out my pitchfork & flaming torch!” So now we know how Dallas Mavericks fans feel.
An alternative proposed by Ryan, who I’m guessing is a Cowboys fan: “Sean McVay for Jerry Jones and a bag of peanuts.”
Super(dome) props, pt. 5/7
The New Orleans Superdome is about to host its eighth Super Bowl, having also hosted Michael Jordan’s game-winning shot for UNC and Muhammad Ali’s last professional victory. More importantly, it became home for thousands after Hurricane Katrina. Zak Keefer’s story on the iconic stadium is worth your time today.
Two things we might see inside that building on Sunday:
- Jason Kelce’s outfit: Eagles gear. The Philly legend must pick between his adopted home and his brother Travis. Asked in March about any hypothetical matchup between the two, Jason said, “I will root for the Eagles, of course.” He reiterated that last week.
- Gatorade bath color? Yellow/green. In 2024, purple was the pre-game favorite. Sure enough, postgame celebrations began with a purple shower for the second-consecutive year. There’s no way the Chiefs change it up — but if you think the Eagles win, yellow/green is the play. You now know where I’m leaning … or hedging. More picks later this week.
As for the best Super Bowl played in New Orleans? That honor goes to “the Blackout Bowl.” Read why.
Yesterday’s most-clicked: Myles Garrett trade proposals.
My next two newsletters will be fully dedicated to making you the most knowledgeable fan at your Super Bowl party. See you tomorrow.
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(Photo: Douglas P. DeFelice / Getty Images)
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