The days of Tom Brady ruling the NFL might be officially over since he hung up his cleats and moved on to commentary, but that doesn't mean the constant comparisons have slowed down, especially with a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes still playing on Sunday.
Although some have already named him the greatest of all time over Brady, he still has a long way to go to accomplish that. He had a chance to put a dent in the debate by winning three Super Bowls in a row last year, only to skunk it up under the big lights (again) and lose to the Eagles.
The Chiefs hoped to seek redemption this season, but after falling to the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, they are heading into December with a 6-6 record, looking like they will be missing the playoffs for the first time in Mahomes' career.
That has prompted plenty of excuses about the quarterback to surface in an attempt to regain traction in the GOAT conversation, and some prominent NFL voices have even made up stats to downplay the Chiefs' fall from grace in comparison to what Brady accomplished during his career.
LeSean McCoy tries to downplay another Chiefs' loss by trying to compare Patrick Mahomes to Tom Brady (again)
Despite signing with the Bucs after Brady left the Patriots and joined the NFC South team, which eventually led to a Super Bowl win, former running back LeSean McCoy has taken a liking to trashing the quarterback's legacy far too often for any Patriots fans' liking.
He's continued that in recent days, defending Mahomes, who has now led the Chiefs to their worst record since he was drafted. And for some reason, McCoy stated that the Patriots "took a break during the dynasty years" when Brady was the quarterback, insinuating they ever held a 6-6 record, or were fighting for a playoff chance during his tenure.
Even the Patriots with Brady took a break during the dynasty years … Pat will be back
— LeSean Shady Mccoy (@CutonDime25) November 28, 2025
Looking back on Brady's career, the only times the Patriots missed the playoffs were in 2002, after winning the Super Bowl the year before, and in 2008 when he tore his ACL in the opening game of the season. The Patriots missed the playoffs because a tiebreaker went far down the line against the Dolphins, which obviously had nothing to do with the quarterback.
McCoy acting as if these were moments of "taking breaks" to compare that to what is happening in Kansas City doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
There is a way to defend Mahomes with what is happening this season without bringing up Brady and/or the Patriots, and if you're going to mention them, the way McCoy did is not the way to do it.
But if we're also being truthful about this debate, there shouldn't be a conversation about who's the GOAT and who's not. It's still Brady until otherwise noted.