Patrick Mahomes already called ‘first-ballot, no-brainer Hall of Famer’

It’s taken Patrick Mahomes only five seasons as a starter in the NFL to seal his Hall of Fame credentials.

It is quite possible for an elite player to really begin to lay a solid foundation for long-term greatness within his first five years as a player. It seems quite impossible for a player to develop a complete Hall of Fame case in that amount of time.

Nothing on the field is impossible, however, for Patrick Mahomes.

When looking at the first five seasons of Mahomes as a starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, all notions of what was previously believed to be possible or impossible in that span of time have been cast aside.

After the last bit of confetti was cleaned up at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona following the Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII, Mahomes had officially checked off enough personal and team credentials to cement a place for himself within the hallowed halls of Canton Ohio: home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

At this point, Mahomes has already won the Most Valuable Player award twice in his first five seasons. He’s never not played in the penultimate game of the season—the conference championship—and in 60 percent of his seasons, he’s also played in the biggest game of all, the Super Bowl. Even in that game, he’s put together two MVP performances, earned five Pro Bowl honors, and won 80 percent of his games.

Mahomes’ case for induction into the HOF at this point is considered a slam dunk, with career achievements that already eclipse other players who put together long, productive careers at the same position.

In a recent column for Heavy.com, NFL columnist Matt Lombardo spoke to six different official selectors for the Pro Football Hall of Fame about Mahomes’ chances. Each of them said he was already in, even if Mahomes decided to walk away today. A great quote comes from Charean Williams from Pro Football Talk:

"“…If Mahomes retired today, he would be a modern-day Gale Sayers — a first-ballot, no-brainer Hall of Famer. Sayers has five All-Pro seasons and then played four total games in his final two seasons. In five seasons as a starter, Mahomes has established himself in the conversation for best quarterbacks of all time.”"

Each of the other selectors said the same thing, quoting the same achievements before coming to the conclusion that Mahomes is the exception to any rules about longevity.

What’s amazing about it all is that Mahomes is set up to add even more accolades and achievements to a trophy case already loaded with hardware. The Chiefs’ window for contention is wide open with books that are free from bad contracts and plenty of draft picks for the road ahead—not to mention a roster that’s already one of the league’s youngest.

In the end, Mahomes might just end up with a wing of his own.