What does Patrick Mahomes need to do to be in NFL Hall of Fame?

With the 2020 and 2021 Hall of Fame classes getting their gold jackets this weekend, the discussion started with whether or not Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has done enough to warrant his own gold jacket. The fanbase and city of Kansas City would vote for him in a heartbeat. The majority vote would be to select Patrick Mahomes as a first-ballot when eligible. One voice sees Mahomes as a player who needs to prove himself more for the Hall of Fame: Colin Cowherd.

How can Patrick Mahomes secure his spot in Hall of Fame?

Cant-in or Cant-out?@ColinCowherd decides alongside @Alex_Curry if current NFL stars are Hall of Famers: pic.twitter.com/GlE3daoXRW

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) August 5, 2021

On Thursday's episode of "The Herd," Colin Cowherd had a segment called "Canton" and "Can't-not." He goes through active players that many see as Hall of Fame candidates and Cowherd gives his verdict. Julio Jones and Travis Kelce went in with OBJ and Khalil Mack not making the cut. He went through four QBs as well. Matt Ryan just missed the cut, Ben Roethlisberger is a first-ballot and Cam Newton is out as well. When he got to Patrick Mahomes, Colin Cowherd claimed him as "Cant-not". Why?

"I think he needs another great year and then we can start the discussion...yes, he's great. But let's make sure we all understand how great the Hall of Fame in football is."

Patrick Mahomes is 25 and it really is too early to tell. Some players have gotten into the Hall of Fame with short careers, like Gale Sayers. How many more seasons does Patrick Mahomes need to be in the Hall of Fame? Three or four more seasons at a high level, including another MVP and Super Bowl win, to end the debate and make him a first-ballot. According to Cowherd, he's 161st in yards, 121st in TDs, and 113rd in wins. He called Andrew Luck better than Patrick Mahomes for entering the league into an ugly situation in Indianapolis, having won 11 games in three straight seasons.

The most insane Patrick Mahomes stat I’ve seen this week. #MVPat pic.twitter.com/WByd7Ys8G5

— Jarrett Sutton (@JarrettTSutton) December 1, 2020

Other than Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, early QB success is usually overhyped and ends for most. For example, everyone said Aaron Rodgers was going to win four more SBs after his first and never did. Others called Big Ben a better QB than Brady after going to the Super Bowl in his first year. If Patrick Mahomes was on another team, are we even having this talk? His Hall of Fame discussion comes from the Hunt family's decision to draft him. They gave him Andy Reid as head coach, one of the fastest WR groups, a top-notch TE, and formed a solid OL. It has already been seen that if the pieces around him fall, so does he.

Another test is the "Tom Brady test". Could Patrick Mahomes go to Denver this year and win a Super Bowl? Maybe down the road, but definitely not in his first year.

As long as Mahomes stays on the path he's on and the team around him is kept up to his level, the Hall of Fame will surely be in his future. To be a first-ballot, Mahomes will likely need another MVP and Super Bowl appearance.