Tom Brady’s ex-teammate raises questions around Patrick Mahomes in post-Travis Kelce era

Modified Jan 30, 2025 14:39 GMT

NFL: Super Bowl LIII-New England Patriots vs Los Angeles Rams - Source: Imagn — Tom Brady’s ex-teammate raises questions around Patrick Mahomes in post-Travis Kelce era - Source: Imagn

Julian Edelman, a longtime teammate of Tom Brady, thinks Patrick Mahomes has a long way to go to catch the former New England Patriots quarterback as the all-time great.

Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are set to play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. It's a chance for Mahomes and the Chiefs to win three straight Super Bowls, something that has never been accomplished.

If Mahomes can lead the Chiefs to a Super Bowl, there would be an argument that he is the best ever. However, Edelman says Mahomes needs to prove he can succeed without Travis Kelce or some other pieces, which Brady was able to do.

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“He’s got to do it for a long time. He’s on pace. This is remarkable. If he does it three in a row in the salary cap era, you can’t say much," Edelman said on "The Dan Patrick Show." "I’m as big of a Tom Brady guy (as) there is. The only difference is the longevity. Tom had three careers. He just so happened to only get two runs at those Super Bowl runs.

"Patrick’s been doing that his whole career. It will be interesting for me to see the next chapter of Patrick Mahomes when some adversity comes along. He’s going to be playing way longer than Travis," Edelman added.

"When Chris Jones departs, he’s going to be there by himself. Will he be able to retool and find guys to help him go out and win. That’s what Tom had to do and it took him 10 years to do that to get to the next one.”

Brady won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and seemingly did it with two very different teams. He then led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl win, which is why Edelman thinks he's ahead of Mahomes.

Brady finished his career with seven Super Bowls and was a five-time Super Bowl MVP. Mahomes, meanwhile, has won three Super Bowls and is a three-time Super Bowl MVP.

Tom Brady set to call Super Bowl LIX

Tom Brady will be on the call for Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Brady is Fox's top color analyst and is in the first year of his 10-year, $375 million deal to be a commentator. The former quarterback has had an up-and-down season in terms of fan support but will now be calling the biggest game of the season.

Kick-off of Super Bowl LIX is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.