Is Patrick Mahomes already a Hall of Famer if he retired today?

Patrick Mahomes has been terrific for four seasons, but is he a lock for the Hall of Fame?

In four years with the Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes is well on his way towards the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but FS1’s Colin Cowherd does not feel he is a lock for Canton this instant.

The popular sports talk radio show host assessed several notable players’ hall-of-fame trajectory on Thursday’s episode of The Herd With Colin Cowherd. Since Mahomes is only in the beginning of his career and will not turn 26 years old until September, Cowherd believes it is premature to reserve a spot for the Chiefs’ star quarterback in Canton already. Is Cowherd right or wrong here?

If Mahomes retired today, would he be a lock to join the sacred Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Patrick Mahomes: Is he a Pro Football Hall of Famer if he retired today?

No, he is not, and stop lying to yourself if you think that is the case. Again, will he end up in Canton? Oh, absolutely, but right this very instant, no way.

Nobody in their right mind will put a quarterback into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with only three years’ worth of starts under his belt.

Have those three years been incredible? No doubt, but he needs a larger body of work.

While there have been players with short careers who got into Canton, most notably Gale Sayers and Terrell Davis, you need to be a generational talent at a position that takes an incredible toll on you physically, such as running back or linebacker. It is why Patrick Willis has not been inducted yet and why Luke Kuechly may not get in on the first ballot either. Longevity is a big factor for Canton.

So how many more years will Mahomes have to play to ensure Canton enshrinement? Probably at least another five, or enough time for him to win a second NFL MVP award, get to a third Super Bowl and win another Lombardi Trophy. On-field stats may not be all that important, but a second First-Team All-Pro nod and two more Pro Bowl nods will probably make his induction inevitable.

Mahomes will be a hall of famer one day, but it is very premature to say he is a lock at this time.