Mahomes is chasing Brady’s legacy. The latest knee injury is yet another link between two all-time greats.
Brady suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first game of 2008, his ninth NFL season. Likewise, Mahomes went down in his ninth campaign, albeit late in the season. Both QBs were coming off Super Bowl losses the previous season and both had three Super Bowl wins before the injury.
Brady would go on to win four more Super Bowls in his career.
“But it’s a tough rehab. It’s one of the toughest rehabs,” Brady said. “I just remember every day pushing myself. And there’s always so much pain and discomfort, unless you progress through the pain and discomfort, which is a tough psychological thing to fight. You feel like, God, every day, it doesn’t feel right. Unless you’re gaining movement and you’re gaining strength and you’re on the road to recovery. So I wish him the best.”
Mahomes, injured in mid-December, presents an extra challenge. A nine-month recovery will have him pushing to be ready for the 2026 campaign, but Brady had a full year to get healthy. One big question for Mahomes is whether the knee injury will mar any of the dynamic play outside the pocket that has highlighted his career through the first nine seasons.