Who will be Tom Brady’s successor?

Tom Brady’s retirement after 22 years in the National Football League (NFL) marks a before and after in this sport. From this moment on, the spotlight will rest on several quarterbacks, called to be those who take his steps not only on talent but on the ability to win titles as the legendary 44-year-old former quarterback did.

Tom Brady has been the most successful and influential quarterback in the history of the sport, winner of seven Super Bowl titles, the only American professional athlete to win a title with a different franchise after 40 years. It has more titles than any team in the NFL and has won the Super Bowl in three different decades.

Brady made the decision to retire a few hours after the elimination of his team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in the divisional round against the Los Angeles Rams.

Hard legacy to match

Last season he became the first quarterback to throw 600 touchdown passes. In 2020, his departure from the Patriots marked the end of his career for many, but Brady could not say goodbye without surprising and winning one more ring.

The title obtained in the previous season against the Kansas City Chiefs of Pat Mahomes led him to be placed with seven rings, above Michael Jordan, who conquered six with the Chicago Bulls of the NBA.

The monarch of 2002, 2004, 2005, 2014, 2017, 2019, and 2021 seasons won the Super Bowl MVP award five of those seven times, and in 20 years he placed a team without titles like the New England Patriots in the top of the league with six championships along with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pat Mahomes, his main successor?

No matter how much quality the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback or anyone else in the league has, it will be very difficult for them to emulate what Brady did, but someone has to take the lead and this 26-year-old seems to be the main one.

It is hard to believe that an athlete can generate influence in such a short time in a franchise and that has happened with Mahomes, who since his arrival in the National Football League (NFL) in the 2017 draft put the Kansas City Chiefs in the foreground, even though in that first year he had to be a substitute for Alex Smith.

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In 2018 he already showed what he could achieve when he won the Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of the Year, was the leader in touchdown passes, and winner of the Bert Bell Award for Player of the Year. His consecration, however, came in the 2019-2020 season, when he led the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl title since 1969.

In four seasons as a starter, he has accumulated two American Conference titles, one Super Bowl, four divisional championships, and one, by the way, he has made it to the Pro Bowl in every season he has played, being chosen by Sports Illustrated magazine as the 2020 Sportsman of the Year. He is not Tom Brady, but his start is very promising.

Other candidates

Many names can be mentioned in the group of calls to be Brady’s replacements, but some of them are already at the end of their careers such as Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Matt Ryan, and Russell Wilson, who this time there are what to ignore

This list behind Mahomes starts with Justin Herbert, who earned his place in the Top 10 after a splendid 2020, throwing 31 touchdown passes, 396 completions, and 8 games with more than 300 yards. These numbers allowed the Los Angeles Chargers quarterback to be the Offensive Rookie that season. He is barely 23 years old.

At just 22 years old, Lamar Jackson has proclaimed the youngest MVP in league history thanks to 29 touchdown passes combined with 1,005 rushing yards. The mobility of the Louisville graduate keeps him in the Top 10, although in 2021-22 he was injured for a long time and his Baltimore Ravens did not qualify for the postseason.

Josh Allen’s experiment finally paid off at the Buffalo Bills and a clear example is that they managed to be champions of the AFC East for the first time since 1995. This, in part, is due to Allen’s great 2020 season, as he recorded 4,544 passing yards and 37 touchdown passes. He is a strong candidate to win a Super Bowl in the next three years.

As for Dak Prescott, a lengthy injury seems to take him away from the quarterback elite, but he still can’t miss this list. After only being five games in the 20-21 season in which he gave more than 30 touchdown passes.

Finally, there’s Joe Burrow, who just led the Cincinnati Bengals to their first Super Bowl appearance in 34 years. His numbers are not stratospheric but his passing accuracy and leadership have allowed him to form a formidable attacking duo with Jamar Chase and already in his first year of postseason he left more experienced quarterbacks like Ryan Tannehill and Patrick Mahomes by the wayside.