Patrick Mahomes names his top 5 quarterbacks of all time

Patrick Mahomes just picked up his second Super Bowl ring. He’s the defending NFL MVP. So there should be no argument as to where he ranks among the league quarterback hierachy.

He’s No. 1 and will stay there until some team, some quarterback, knocks the Chiefs superstar from his lofty perch. But did you ever ponder on who Patrick Mahomes would rank as the top quarterbacks of all time? The 27-year-old from East Texas hasn’t lived long enough to see many greats actually play. But game still can know game, even if it’s by sifting through the decades.

So who are the top five? Mahomes answered this question during a recent Q&A with Complex.com.

“I mean, you got to say Tom’s one, but if you talk about the legends of the game, Tom, Peyton Manning, obviously Aaron Rogers, Joe Montana, and then it gets down to Dan Marino or John Elway to round off your top five,” Patrick Mahomes said. “But I mean there’s some great quarterbacks that played this game, man. I’m trying to learn from them because even though the game has progressed, there’s still stuff in the past that helps you become a better quarterback.

The Patrick Mahomes best five

1 Tom Brady (Patriots, Bucs)

2. Peyton Manning (Colts, Broncos)

3. Aaron Rodgers (Packers. Jets)

4. Joe Montana (49ers, Chiefs)

5. Dan Marino (Dolphins) John Elway (Denver)

And if you’re curious, all of Mahomes’ choices, save for Marino, won a Super Bowl. But Marino did retire with more than three dozen league NFL records. Those included the quarterback big three — completions (4,967), passing yards (61,361), and touchdowns (420). You can make the case he belongs on the list.

Mahomes’ frame of reference dips into the late 1970s. We’d like to suggest he move up Montana, who was Tom Brady while Brady was a toddler. For that matter, Brady broke Elway’s record for Super Bowl starts.

Now, what about current quarterbacks? Yes, Patrick Mahomes has an opinion. He started with “you got me” then reeled off some names,

1. Joe Burrow Bengals
2. Josh Allen Bills
3. Lamar Jackson Ravens
4. Jalen Hurts Eagles
5. Trevor Lawrence Jaguars
6. Justin Herbert Chargers

 “I mean there’s so many quarterbacks,” Patrick Mahomes says. “I don’t want to just name five. But I mean even the guys that are injured: you got Kyler Murray coming off injury, you got Russell Wilson, who can have a bounce back year, Aaron Rodgers.

“There’s so many quarterbacks in this league, it’s hard to put five. And I guess the best thing about this league is you have a top five quarterbacks this year and then next year it could be completely different. So all you can worry about right now is who is going to be in the top five after this upcoming season and I’m going to try to place myself in there.”