NEW ORLEANS – What’s it like blocking for two of the best quarterbacks to ever play football? Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Joe Thuney knows firsthand.
Thuney spent five seasons in New England. His first four years he was teammates with Tom Brady and won Super Bowl 51 and 53 as a member of the Patriots. The offensive lineman has since won two more Lombardi Trophies blocking for Patrick Mahomes.
“The time they put in and out at the facility day in and day out. All the extra meetings and all the extra film they go through. Just the attitude that every day they are trying to get better,” Thuney said of the similarities between the two. “Every day they are trying to bring everybody together to improve on something. The leadership and the example they set. I just feel very fortunate and lucky to be around it for my whole career, pretty much.”
Brady’s NFL resume has no equal. He’s the most accomplished quarterback in NFL history: Seven Super Bowl rings (more than any individual franchise), five Super Bowl MVPs and 35 playoff victories.
Mahomes is chasing Brady’s records, but he’s already ahead of Brady’s pace.
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Brady won his fourth Super Bowl at the age of 37. Mahomes, 29, has an opportunity to win his fourth ring Sunday. A fourth Super Bowl win would tie Mahomes with Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw for the second-most Super Bowl wins by a quarterback. Mahomes’ 17 postseason wins are already the second-most ever by a QB, only trailing, of course, Brady.
But Mahomes isn’t quite ready to start pondering about his personal legacy or how he stacks up in the NFL’s quarterback annals.
“I just want to be remembered as one of the greatest teams of all time at the end of the day,” Mahomes said. “I know how blessed I am to be in Kansas City, the people I have around me, the coaches and players. I’m more focused on leaving the imprint on the Kansas City Chiefs and how we’re remembered for the rest of time.”
Mahomes may not be focused on his legacy at this juncture. However, it’s undeniable he’s already among the best quarterbacks to have ever played the game. He’s led the Chiefs to seven consecutive AFC championship games and now five Super Bowl appearances. He’s won the NFL MVP award twice and Super Bowl MVP award three times.
Since Mahomes became Kansas City’s starter in 2018, he leads the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns. His 32,352 career passing yards are the most ever by a QB in their first 115 starts. He enters Sunday only 58 yards shy from surpassing Hall of Famer John Elway (1,128 yards) for the fourth most passing yards in Super Bowl history.
Mahomes is rewriting the record books, even if he doesn’t want to reflect on it.
“I’ve been blessed to have been around some great ones. You can take a little piece out of every guy and say he’s kind of like this guy or he’s kind of like that guy. But he’s really rewriting it for himself,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said of Mahomes. “That’s what I noticed about being around the Brett Favres, the Donovan McNabbs, Michael Vick, Alex Smith (and) Jeff Garcia. I’ve been blessed to be around just a ton of them. They all kind of put their own mark on it.
“It’s really what makes (Mahomes) unique. He does so many things so well in a tough sport. There’s a mental part of it and there’s a physical part of it.”
The best quarterback ever debate will certainly heat up if Mahomes wins a fourth Lombardi Trophy. Chiefs wide receiver Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown already proclaimed to USA TODAY Sports that Mahomes will “go down as the greatest to do it” following the AFC title game.
Running back Kareem Hunt believes a three-peat and fourth Super Bowl championship would place Mahomes ahead of Brady and on top of the quarterback mountain.
“Four Super Bowls and a three-peat. I think obviously he would be hands down the best to ever do it,” Hunt said. “Especially this far at his age is crazy.”
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.