Peyton Manning: Tom Brady has come for my NFL records, but watch out for Patrick Mahomes

Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning dishes on Tom Brady breaking all of Manning’s records, assuring that Patrick Mahomes is on his way there too. 

The Brady-Manning rivalry of the 2000s was one for the books, one that Brady’s friend and former teammate Julian Edelman was more than willing to tease out in a conversation with Peyton Manning.

Manning recently appeared in the third episode of Edelman’s new podcast, “Games With Names“, to talk about the 2013 NFL season opener between the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos.

Manning led the Broncos all the way to the Super Bowl that year, but they just so happened to face the lethal Legion of Boom in their prime and lost in one of the worst SB blowouts to date. Still, Manning’s year was one for the books, as his 55 touchdowns in a 16-game season set an NFL record that endures to this day.

Of course, all Peyton can do is laugh as he watches Tom Brady keep the rivalry alive seven years after Manning retired. Brady has come for virtually all of the career passing records Manning has set at this point, yet Manning still has one over Brady: those 55 touchdowns in a single season. Brady came close with 50 in 2007 (a season which was dissected in the first episode of “Games With Names”), but Brady isn’t the only quarterback to put up 50 in a season.

Manning acknowledges that the guys still playing the game are on track to break his record, the two leading contenders being Brady and Patrick Mahomes (starts at 44:45).

"“[Tom] Brady’s on a mission to break every record that I have. He wants to break that 55, and trust me right? [Patrick] Mahomes, I’m sure is going to get there at some point too. So, most of my records have fallen, that’s one that’s kind of hung around for a little while. I mean to tell you how competitive Brady is, now he goes out and gets more retirements than me, right?”"

Peyton Manning is convinced Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes will break his single-season TD record

Much like Manning, Patrick Mahomes was on a tear in the regular season before losing a narrow overtime loss to Brady, Edelman and the Patriots back during the 2018 AFC Championship game. A few weeks later, the Patriots would go on to defeat the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII, and Edelman would win Super Bowl MVP for his invaluable performance.

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But that was just the beginning for Mahomes, who has led his team to the AFC Championship in every season since 2018. Since 2018, Mahomes and the Chiefs have gone on to play in two Super Bowls, besting the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV. Of course, Mahomes lost his second Super Bowl appearance to none other than Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

When FanSided’s Matt Verderame asked NFL analyst Kay Adams about how the Chiefs would fare in 2022, Adams chalked it up to their primary playmaker: Patrick Mahomes.

“It’s kind of a cop-out answer, but it’s Patrick Mahomes,” Adams said on the Arrowhead Addict podcast. “What are we doing? Of course I have faith in them.”

“[The Kansas City Chiefs] are so invested in Patrick, and Patrick is so invested in that team,” Adams said.

Manning’s comments illustrate not only the longevity of Brady’s career — he’s played long enough to have Hall of Fame rivals in two eras! — but the grace with which Manning accepts his place in NFL history. He knows that all of his incredible records were made to be broken, even if that comes at the hands of his longtime rival.

But Brady is expected to wrap up his victory lap this year, so if he doesn’t make 55, the floor is yours, Patrick.