Patrick Mahomes is quite a few years away from 45 but even so, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback says he’ll "be out there" for as long as he can – that is, if he can play at the level of Tom Brady.
Ahead of Sunday’s matchup between the Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the 27-year-old quarterback was asked if he could see himself playing in the league for as long as Brady has.
"I want to play as long as I can play and I can still have a chance to help the team get better," Mahomes said Wednesday.
"Obviously, it's hard to play until you're 45 years old, and I don't want to be out there just hanging on. I think you see with Tom is – he's still playing at a very high level. I think that's why it's hard for him to kind of give it up – when you're playing at a high level you don't want to leave it."
He continued: "For me, I’m gonna try to keep my body in the best shape possible and as long as they let me play and I play at a high level. I’ll be out there."
Brady leads Mahomes in head-to-head matchups at 3-2, with the Buccaneers Super Bowl victory in 2020 being the tiebreaker.
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"It’s special to see the things he’s done in this league. The way he’s able to change the position. The longevity of great success – that’s the crazy part. If you look at his career, there’s never really been a down year. He’s always been great and had a great season and found ways to get even better," Mahomes said of facing Brady on Sunday.
"It’s always a great opportunity for me and our team to go up against a great quarterback and really see where your team is at."
The Bucs defense held the Green Bay Packers to just 14 points last week but a depleted offense ultimately led to their loss. The Bucs will have Mike Evans again after he served his one-game suspension for his role in a Week 2 fight against the New Orleans Saints.
Top receivers Julio Jones and Chris Godwin could also make an appearance after being elevated to limited participation in Wednesday’s practice. They have missed consecutive games with a knee and hamstring injury, respectively.