Rob Gronkowski is the latest to weigh in on the nascent Tom Brady vs. Patrick Mahomes debate.
The four-time Super Bowl champ replied with the only right answer.
In an appearance on Kay Adams’ FanDuel show, Gronkowski was asked whether he thinks Mahomes is in Brady’s league.
While Gronk acknowledged that Mahomes could “definitely give Brady a run for his money,” the future Hall of Famer said it will take the Chiefs’ quarterback a while to be competitive with Brady.
“He’s young, he has two Super Bowl wins now, and he has three Super Bowl appearances over the last six years,” Gronkowski said. “But in order to get to that level you’re going to have to be consistent over the next 15 years.”
That’s a daunting task. The Chiefs are on an incredible run. As Gronkowski mentioned, they’ve won two Super Bowls and made three Super Bowl appearances over the last five years, and played in five straight AFC Championships.
But the Patriots won six Super Bowls and made nine Super Bowl appearances in 20 years, and played in 13 AFC Championships, including eight straight from 2011-18.
With that in mind, Brady’s longevity will always probably be the deciding factor between him and other great quarterbacks. He put together three different Hall of Fame careers packed into one.
Mahomes is only 27 years old. Expecting him to keep up his performance for another 15 years is a tall order.
“It’s a debate but it’s not up to us, it’s just all up to Patrick Mahomes,” Gronkowski said. “He has to keep performing for the next 15 years.”
Per usual, Gronk is providing the well-reasoned perspective.