It's going down between two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL during Super Bowl Sunday.
This Super Bowl Sunday, all eyes are going to be on Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes!
Described as "the most glorious, biggest matchup of all time" by CBS sportscaster Jim Nantz, Super Bowl LV is set to feature what may very well be the two best quarterbacks in the NFL, when Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers welcome Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
Making his 10th Super Bowl appearance, Brady is up for a major test as he faces a potential successor in Mahomes, the reigning Super Bowl MVP. And it seems the comparisons between the two have only served as a motivator.
"He's going to leave everything he has on the field every single time he's out there," Mahomes said of Brady during Super Bowl LV Media Day. "He doesn't care what it takes. He doesn't care if he has to throw for 400 yards or if he has to throw for 100 yards. He wants to win. I feel like I have the same mentality. I just want to win no matter what happens or how it happens."
As the Chiefs look to become the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since Brady did it in 2004, there's no counting the GOAT out just yet. Here's a breakdown between the two champs.
TOM BRADY
AGE: 43
HOMETOWN: Born in San Mateo, California, Brady was the quarterback at Junípero Serra High School, where he also played basketball and baseball. He went on to play college football at the University of Michigan from 1995 to 1999.
Brady's former high school teammate, John Kirby, admitted to ET that while it was an "honor" catching passes from the future Hall of Famer, not everyone thought he would make it to the NFL! "A lot of us thought he was gonna be a professional baseball player," Kirby shared. "That was more what he was known for in our area."
NFL CAREER: Brady was drafted by the Patriots in 2000, and spent the first 20 seasons of his career in New England. During his second season with the Pats, when he became the starting quarterback after an injury to Drew Bledsoe, he led the team to their first-ever Super Bowl victory. In 2020, he left New England and signed with the Bucs, leading the franchise to what will be their second Super Bowl appearance.
SUPER BOWLS PAST: The QB has led his team to the Super Bowl 10 times over the course of his career, and won a total of six rings -- the most for a player in NFL history.
FAMILY: Brady has been married to supermodel Gisele Bündchen since 2009. They share two children, daughter Vivian, 8, and son Benjamin, 11. He is also father to 13-year-old son John, whom he shares with his ex, Bridget Moynahan.
"She's my best friend," Brady previously told ET of Bündchen. "We spend as much time as we can together and you know it's a busy life we have."
FUTURE: Brady has certainly accomplished a lot in his NFL career so far, but will he consider hanging it up if he earns a seventh Super Bowl ring this year? It seems doubtful. The QB has said throughout his career that he'd like to play until he was 45, which would mean two more seasons under center.
"I think I'll know when it's time," Brady said ahead of Super Bowl LV. "I don't know when that time will come. But I think I'll know. And I'll understand that I gave everything I could to give to this game. You put a lot into it. I don't think I could ever go at this game half-ass. I've gotta put everything into it. When I put it all out there, [when] I feel like I can't do it anymore, I don't feel like I can commit to the team in the way that the team needs me, then I think that's when it's probably time to walk away."
Many players cross over into broadcasting after their time on the gridiron, though Brady joked during Super Bowl Media Day in 2005 that he thought the profession might be too tough for him. "It's too hard, man!" he laughed. "It's much easier playing football out here."
PATRICK MAHOMES
AGE: 25
HOMETOWN: Mahomes was born in Tyler, Texas, where he played football, baseball, and basketball at Whitehouse High School. The star athlete went on to play college football and baseball at Texas Tech University, deciding to focus solely on the pigskin during his sophomore year. His father, Pat Mahomes, was an MLB pitcher.
NFL CAREER: Mahomes was picked 10th overall by the Chiefs in the 2017 NFL Draft. After spending his rookie season backing up Alex Smith, he was named the starter in 2018, and hasn't looked back.
SUPER BOWLS PAST: Mahomes led the Chiefs to Super Bowl LIV during the 2019–20 playoffs, where they defeated the San Francisco 49ers for the franchise's first Super Bowl victory since 1970. Mahomes was awarded the Super Bowl MVP honor, making him the second African American quarterback to win the award after Doug Williams, as well as youngest overall.
FAMILY: Mahomes is engaged to his high school sweetheart, Brittany Matthews. In September, they announced that they are expecting their first child together, a baby girl.
FUTURE: With three playoff appearances in his first three seasons as a starter, Mahomes certainly has a bright future ahead of him in the NFL. And the young quarterback has a lot of respect for the player on the other side of the field who's inspired him throughout his career -- citing Brady as a professional motivator whose legacy he's eager to emulate.
"As I continue in my career, I'm just going to try to do whatever I can to watch the tape on him because he's doing it the right way," Mahomes said during Super Bowl LV Media Day. "You can tell by how many Super Bowl championships he has and the rings on his fingers."
"I want to play as long as they let me,'' he added of another lesson he's learned from Brady. "In order to do that, I have to take care of my body as much as I take care of everything else on the field. If you want to play this sport for a long time, how physical as it is, you have to invest as much time into your body as you do anything else."
RELATED CONTENT:
