Rob Gronkowski throws shade at Patrick Mahomes amid narrative of eclipsing Tom Brady as NFL GOAT

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are one win away from securing their third consecutive Super Bowl title. A victory would solidify their status as one of the greatest dynasties in the NFL. It would also elevate Mahomes to joint-second place among the most successful quarterbacks, alongside Joe Montana and trailing only Tom Brady.

Many believe a win for the Chiefs would be enough for Mahomes to enter the greatest of all-time conversation. However, former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Rob Gronkowski wants to pump the brakes on comparing Mahomes to Tom Brady.

On last week's edition of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," he said:

"I'm going to be a little biased because I played with Tom Brady, and I think he's the greatest player of all time, and he's proven that he is the greatest player of all time. In order for Patrick Mahomes to enter that era, I mean, first off, he's got to win this Super Bowl coming up and get the three-peat and I believe that's probably one of the best dynasties in the last decade. But we had the dynasty for two decades." (1:58)

The retired tight end then took a shot at Mahomes and suggested he can never surpass Brady as the GOAT because he's 0-2 in the playoffs against the Patriots icon:

"Is he better than Tom Brady? Tom Brady beat him in the playoffs, and is undefeated versus him. We beat him in the AFC Championship game. And Super Bowl, when we were in Tampa." (2:30)

Stephen A. Smith stoked the fire of the GOAT debate between Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes

Even the most ardent Chiefs fans likely wouldn't crown Patrick Mahomes as the greatest ever over Tom Brady if Kansas City beats the Philadelphia Eagles. Stephen A. Smith believes a win would change that.

During an episode of First Take last week, he said:

"Tom Brady didn't even win back-to-back-to-back Super Bowl titles. It would be huge for the sport. It would be huge for the city. It would be huge for the franchise. It would cement Patrick Mahomes as the greatest QB in history of the National Football League."

If the Chiefs win and Mahomes is crowned the Super Bowl MVP, the gap between him and Brady would still be one league MVP, one Super Bowl MVP and three championship wins. A player with those accolades would be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.