- Patrick Mahomes could win his third Super Bowl ring this weekend
- But he's not currently focused on Tom Brady's record of seven rings
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Patrick Mahomes has shrugged off talk that he could surpass Tom Brady's seven Super Bowl rings, as the Chiefs star insisted Monday that he's “not even close to being halfway there yet.”
The 28-year-old Mahomes has already won two Super Bowls and on Sunday he will play in the NFL championship for the fourth time. His only loss in the big game came against Brady's Buccaneers in 2021.
And while the Kansas City quarterback is certainly on track to threaten Brady's record, he's not focused on that ahead of a matchup with the 49ers.
“I'm not even close to halfway there yet, so I haven't thought much about it,” Mahomes told reporters, via ESPN. “Your goal is to be the best player you can be and I know I'm lucky to be around a lot of great players.” So right now I have to do everything I can to be one Great 49ers team to beat and try to get the third ring.
“Then if you ask me that question in 15 years, I’ll see if I can get close to seven, but seven still seems a long way away.”
Patrick Mahomes described participating in the Super Bowl again on Monday as “surreal.”
There is talk of whether he will surpass Tom Brady's record of seven Super Bowl rings
Brady's seven Super Bowls are rivaled by linebacker Charles Haley's five Super Bowls with the Cowboys and 49ers, while Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana are tied for second among quarterbacks with four.
If Mahomes collects his third ring on Sunday, he would be only the fifth quarterback to do so.
“I don’t think I could ever have predicted what was going to happen early in my career,” he said.
“You want to go to the Super Bowl.” That's your ultimate goal, and to be in my fourth is really surreal and I try to appreciate it every time. “You don’t even know if this is going to be your last, and I’ve been lucky enough to be around a great organization a lot with a lot of great players around me, so I’m just trying to maximize those opportunities.”
Brady and Mahomes shake hands after a regular season game in 2022
Mahomes and the Chiefs won twice on the road en route to this Super Bowl trip, beating Buffalo and Baltimore after struggling at home against the Dolphins.
They now face a 49ers team with arguably the best defense in the league, and Mahomes will want to avoid the pain that Brady and Co. inflicted on him three years ago.
“I lost the Super Bowl and I know how much that hurts and you want to make sure you stay away from that feeling,” he said.
“When you lose it and you're in that locker room and you feel like you're so close and you didn't make it… I'm almost more addicted to staying away from that feeling than lifting the trophy. “.'