"Super impressed by him": Tom Brady once expressed deep admiration for Joe Burrow after defeating Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs have been the most dominant team in the AFC in the last eight years since Patrick Mahomes led the offense in 2018. Since 2018, the Chiefs have appeared in all conference championship games and lost only twice. One of their defeats came at the hands of Joe Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals in 2021 when they squared off at Arrowhead Stadium.

By then, NFL legend Tom Brady had left the conference to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Although Brady was calm heading into the Super Bowl, he was excited to witness a match between two rookie QBs who would be his opponents at the Super Bowl.

Speaking on the "Let’s Go!" podcast about Joe Burrow’s performance in Jan 2022, Brady said:

“I think Joe's got some tools that I didn't quite have when I was his age, so I'm super impressed by how he's kind of come into the league and went to Cincinnati, which has been a tough place to play over the years,” Tom Brady said.

Tom Brady praises Joe Burrow for his mental toughness

Joe Burrow’s Bengals had a tough night against Mahomes’s Chiefs, with scores tied at 24-24 at the end of the fourth quarter, courtesy of a 44-yard field goal by kicker Harrison Butker. However, a 31-yard field goal by Evan McPherson led the Bengals into the Super Bowl. It was their first Super Bowl appearance since 1988, thus leading Brady to call it a tough place to play.

He continued, “And, you know, two years into his career, after a really tough injury last year, he showed a lot of mental and physical toughness coming back and having an incredible season.”

Burrow was drafted #1 in the 2020 draft and immediately picked for the starting team. Despite an injury-prone year, he passed for 2,688 yards with a PCT of 65.3 percent and 13 touchdowns. So far, it has been his worst season, but he returned in 2021-22 to produce his best performance. Burrow passed for 4,611 yards with a PCT of 70.4 percent and 34 touchdowns.

Tom Brady fond of watching young QBs in the league

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, left, and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady in conversation in 2021. (Credits: IMAGN)

Tom Brady, like others, was also impressed by the group of young rookies drafted at the fag end of his career.

“I always love watching quarterbacks, and certainly young quarterbacks, cuz I feel like, you know, there's certain ways to play the game, and to play the game at a high level requires a huge commitment."

"I think Joe, even from when I saw him at LSU, you know, he makes that commitment. So it's really a great thing for me to see as, you know, someone who's played this game a long time. So really happy for Joe and his team.”

In Patrick Mahomes, TB12 had already found a successor to his legacy, and Burrow pushed himself to the list. Burrow is now leading the chart for most touchdowns this season with 42.