Patrick Mahomes is the NFL’s Michael Jordan, and the comparisons are increasingly hard to ignore

The conversation surrounding Patrick Mahomes has changed. Winning three Super Bowl rings before turning 30 will do that. The Chiefs quarterback is no longer just known as the best quarterback in the league, but already among the best in league history. The natural comparison is Tom Brady, the GOAT, and how Mahomes compares to Brady at the same stage in his career — but there’s another comparison that feels more appropriate.

Patrick Mahomes is Michael Jordan.

That was the question Kevin Clark posed on Twitter after the Chiefs win — and honestly, it’s hard to argue with.

Mahomes has changed the way we discuss quarterbacks in the NFL, including Tom Brady, like never before. When it comes to the current ranking of players at the quarterback position in the NFL, the discussion always starts with Mahomes, then the gap, and then the debate begins.He is an unparalleled player whose own blend of level, production and success is unlike anything we have ever seen since Brady at his peak — yet, it still feels different.

No matter how good Brady is, there will always be discussion. Debate upstairs. Brady vs. Manning, then Brady vs. Rogers. Of course, time has proven that TB12 is the greatest of his contemporaries – but there’s still room for debate. For Mahomes, none at all. You can try to make a pitch for Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen, but they’re destined to be hollow, swallowed up by the black hole that is Patrick Mahomes.

That’s why Mahomes is now a Jordan-esque figure. That’s why Clark’s assertion that Mahomes changed the landscape in such a profound way is completely accurate.

We are entering an era where most sports fans have seen firsthand what Jordan did in his day. It’s hard to even fully express the importance of what Jordan did for basketball during his time. If you only know him through YouTube, watch the “MJ vs. Jordan” highlights or debates. LeBron” It’s hard to pinpoint the impact this man had on the NBA.

This is a guy who came into the league in the closing stages of the Magic vs. Warriors game. Bird’s rivalry, and for much of the decade, caused the legacy of everyone in the league to be sucked into its gravitational pull and erased. The NBA of the early ’90s was filled with some of the greatest basketball players we’ve ever seen, and every one of their legacies was altered because they happened to play with Michael Jordan.

You don’t need to look beyond the 1992 Dream Team to see this in action. We’re taking Magic and Bird out of the equation for now because they had their booming years in the ’80s. These were all Jordan’s contemporaries, all Hall of Famers, who, in hindsight, didn’t really feel “special” because of No. 23.

• charles buckley
• Clyde Drexler
• Patrick Ewing
• Karl Malone
• Chris Mullin
• Scottie Pippen
• david robinson
• John Stockton

That is eight The legacies of these players are legendary within their respective franchises, but they don’t compare to Jordan’s in the wider perception of this era.Hell, Shaquille O’Neal has averaged 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game for the past decade, and he still Shaq had been a bit player until Jordan’s career slowed down, at which point Shaq finally got his due after moving to the Lakers.

The thing about Jordan during this time is that you could easily make the argument that he’s been surpassed. When you compare LeBron James’ career, there are dozens of strong, factually correct reasons why LeBron James surpassed Jordan — but it still doesn’t feel the same. LeBron has been bending the league to his will for more than 20 years. He deserves credit for his strength, tenacity and leadership.

Night after night, we see how LeBron strives to be the best. The effort he put in was unparalleled.

Jordan, on the other hand, is like Mahomes — making it look effortless. Let’s be clear: I’m not saying Jordan or Mahomes didn’t give it their all when they became champions, but they shared that quality and played like 80% of the time, always using what they could when needed. of other equipment, but you don’t have to. Whether it’s MJ gliding down the lane like a ballerina in the paint, off-balance for a layup, or Mahomes casually tossing the ball 50 yards downfield with the same moves people use on the beach, their respective There is an inescapable quality to games. Everything is too easy for them.

Mahomes now has three championship rings at 28 years old. If he continues down this path, and if the Chiefs can finally handle Andy Reid’s retirement, then… Pat will probably have five more rings when all is said and done. Comparisons to Brady are now locked in and will always be the way Mahomes is judged from now on — but the fact that we’ve pitted him against the greatest quarterback of all time underscores the fact that Mahomes How Holmes was ahead of his time.

No one in the NFL is in its orbit. No one playing this game right now is qualified to be compared to Patrick Mahomes. That’s how much of an impact the Chiefs quarterback has on the game, and why he’s more like Michael Jordan than any athlete we’ve seen since No. 23 was with the Bulls.