Why Patrick Mahomes Shouldn't Already Be Considered a Top-3 NFL QB of All Time

While the 2026 NFL offseason will feature plenty of player movement via free agency and the draft, one of the most important storylines will involve one player who is highly unlikely to change teams in the foreseeable future.

The Kansas City Chiefs didn't miss the playoffs last year because quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a torn ACL, but his recovery will be critical to their chances of returning to Super Bowl contention next season.

Even if he retired today, the Texas Tech product will go down as one of the best signal-callers ever to take an NFL field. In Bleacher Report's recent staff poll to determine the top 99 quarterbacks in NFL history, Mahomes came in at No. 4.

An argument could be made that Mahomes should be ranked even higher. However, he shouldn't be considered an all-time top-three quarterback just yet, although that shouldn't be considered a knock against his already impressive legacy.

Mahomes Is Already A First-Ballot Hall of Famer

While Mahomes is busy attacking his rehab—and the Chiefs are taking a break from their run of AFC dominance—now is a great time to appreciate just how special his career has been to this point.

The 30-year-old is already a veritable lock for the Hall of Fame. Prior to the 2025 season, Kansas City appeared in seven consecutive AFC Championship Games with him at the helm. Those seven trips resulted in five Super Bowl appearances and three Super Bowl victories.

For quarterbacks, two Lombardi Trophies are usually enough to earn a trip to Canton.

Of the 13 Hall-eligible QBs who have won two or more Super Bowls as a starter, only Jim Plunkett and Eli Manning are not in the Hall of Fame. Manning, who has been a finalist in each of the past two years, will probably get in. Plunkett—who was ranked 68th on B/R's all-time QBs list—had a terrific career but was never a Pro Bowler or widely considered an elite quarterback.

That leads into the second facet of Mahomes' Hall of Fame resume. He has the statistics and individual accolades needed to earn a bust.

Mahomes is a six-time Pro Bowler, a two-time first-team All-Pro, and a two-time regular-season MVP. He's a three-time Super Bowl MVP who has led the NFL in touchdown passes twice and led the league in passing yards once.

With 35,939 passing yards, Mahomes is already 33rd on the all-time passing list. His 267 passing touchdowns are 22nd on the all-time list, and Mahomes has also added 2,665 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns.

Mahomes' numbers have been even more prolific in the postseason, too. With 5,814 yards, he ranks sixth on the all-time postseason passing list.

It isn't all about the numbers with Mahomes, either. With an almost unmatched blend of athleticism, arm talent, escapability and football IQ, the Chiefs star has regularly made the incredible seem routine.

We've become so accustomed to seeing Mahomes make special plays that his ability to perform at a consistently high level might be underappreciated.

While Mahomes might not be the NFL's best quarterback each and every year, it's hard to argue that he hasn't been the game's best across his eight years as a full-time starter. For NFL players with shorter careers, a significant span of dominance often carries more weight in the Hall of Fame argument than raw numbers alone.

For example, former Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson ranks 37th on the all-time receiving list. Yet he was so productive during his nine NFL seasons that he was a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Former Carolina Panthers star Luke Kuechly played only eight NFL seasons. However, he was widely considered the NFL's best linebacker during his playing career and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2026 as a result.

With three rings, a trophy case full of awards, some prolific passing numbers—especially in the postseason—and a multi-year stretch as the face of the NFL, Mahomes will be a lock for Canton even if he were to never play again.

Mahomes Needs to Play Longer to Crack the Top 3

When debating who the best quarterbacks of all-time are, arguments often boil down to talent versus accomplishments, with statistics often landing on one side or the other.

Longtime Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers was considered the game's most talented quarterback for much of his career. Like Mahomes, he had a combination of physical skills and intangibles that was rarely matched during his playing prime.

Rodgers, who spent the 2025 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, has also had a lengthy career filled with individual accomplishments and gaudy numbers. The four-time MVP ranks fifth on the all-time passing list (66,274 yards) and third on the all-time postseason passing list (6,040 yards).

Yet Rodgers has just one Super Bowl ring, which is why Mahomes ranks ahead of him despite being a similarly talented quarterback with far fewer seasons on his resume. Of course, anyone who wants to put Rodgers ahead of Mahomes can point to the former's longevity and overall body of work.

Results matter, though, and winning Super Bowls is ultimately the desired result. Tom Brady, who unsurprisingly topped the B/R list, won seven of them. Brady also happens to hold most of the NFL's meaningful all-time quarterback records, including passing yards, passing touchdowns, wins and postseason passing numbers.

Brady, who won Super Bowls with both the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is in a class of his own despite never being considered the NFL's most talented quarterback.

Longtime San Francisco 49ers star Joe Montana isn't far behind.

During his prime, Montana was widely considered the best quarterback in the NFL. He also won all four Super Bowls that he started. The two-time MVP and three-time Super Bowl MVP ranked second on the B/R list.

Brady, Montana, and Terry Bradshaw are the only quarterbacks with more Super Bowl wins as a starter than Mahomes. Bradshaw, who came in at No. 15 on B/R's list, played in a very different era and with a Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty that largely won with its defense.

So, Mahomes may never match Brady's accomplishments, and he may have to win another Super Bowl to surpass Montana in the all-time QB hierarchy. However, he does have a case for being ranked higher than Peyton Manning, who came in at No. 3 on Bleacher Report's all-time list.

After all, Manning only has three Super Bowl appearances and two rings on his resume. He was viewed by many as being "along for the ride" with an elite Denver Broncos defense when he won his second ring after the 2015 season.

Yet Manning's longevity, accolades, and lengthy status as the game's best quarterback put him above Mahomes for now.

The longtime Indianapolis Colts starter was never an athletic marvel, but he had all the arm talent and accuracy an NFL team could want. And there might not be a quarterback in the history of the league who matched Manning's ability to diagnose a defense, create mismatches and win downs before the ball is even snapped.

Manning's football intelligence, recognition skills and leadership allowed him to be the ultimate on-field leader.

"He wanted to figure out what the defense was going to do before they did it," former Colts receiver Reggie Wayne said, per Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star. "...The way he prepared kind of got the rest of us to kind of pick up our game as far as preparation."

During most of Manning's career, debates raged about whether he or Brady was the top signal-caller in the NFL. After 17 seasons as a starter, Manning ranks third on the all-time passing list (71,940 yards) and second on the all-time postseason passing list (7,339).

While Mahomes has the edge in rings, Manning, the league's only five-time MVP, had a stretch of greatness that will take years to match.

But Mahomes May Be Just Getting Started

Whether you believe Mahomes is being underrated or overrated at this point in his career, one thing is largely undeniable. His career isn't over. He'll only turn 31 in September, and he's under contract through 2031.

Even if he doesn't get back to the Super Bowl and chooses to retire when his current deal ends, he can gain a lot of ground on the all-time statistical lists. He had 3,587 passing yards this past season. Six more seasons at that clip would put him at 57,461 for his career, moving him past Eli Manning for 11th on the all-time list.

There's no guarantee that Mahomes won't have better seasons ahead—he's averaged more than 4,800 yards per 17 games in his career—or that he won't keep playing after his contract expires. There's also no guarantee that he and the Chiefs won't find themselves playing for another championship.

Here's where we point out that Brady once went nine seasons between Super Bowl victories.

The current Kansas City dynasty may be nearing its end. However, that doesn't mean the Chiefs won't construct another one in the future or Mahomes won't go on to win with a different team in his late 30s.

Brady and Manning are currently the only quarterbacks who have started and won Super Bowls with two different franchises.

Will Mahomes ever be considered the greatest quarterback of all time? Maybe not, but he's already approaching Mt. Rushmore status, and he's only going to add to his Hall of Fame legacy in 2026 and beyond.