Tom Brady has turned his attention to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. The seven-time Super Bowl champion explained that Mahomes is operating behind an offensive line that has yet to stabilize, particularly on the left side, but argued that no one is better suited to handle the adversity.
Speaking on FS1’s The Herd, Brady credited Mahomes’ creativity for keeping Kansas City competitive when protection breaks down.
“He’s got to find a way to overcome that, and he has, in so many ways. Despite his stats being down a little bit last year, I still think he had an incredible season. They won 15 games,” Brady said.
He described it as “Mahomes magic,” the ability to escape, extend plays, and somehow “pull the rabbit out of his hat.”
Brady connected those struggles to moments in his own career.
“They’ve been trying to find a left tackle at that position for a long time in that offense, and it’s a challenge because it affects the way the quarterback feels,” he explained. “Can I really sit back there and do I trust my teammates up front to be able to protect me long enough so that I could see down the field to read the coverage and then make a very decisive, accurate throw?”
Chiefs’ revolving door on the line
Kansas City shuffled through four different players at left tackle last season, a position that has become its biggest headache. Despite the instability, the Chiefs’ line still ranked seventh overall in the NFL by Pro Football Focus, a sign of how Mahomes’ ability to process defenses pre-snap makes up for deficiencies.
“I think Patrick really understands the game and [coverage] combinations like that as well,” Brady noted.
The organization hoped to fix the problem in the 2025 draft by selecting Ohio State tackle Josh Simmons in the first round.
Simmons showed promise in camp but struggled in his first test, surrendering four pressures and committing two penalties in a 27-21 loss to the Chargers. Alongside him, Kingsley Suamataia, a 2024 second-round pick, has stepped in at left guard after limited experience at tackle. Both are still finding their rhythm.
Brady, however, believes patience will pay off. He said the young pair could “help the Chiefs have a pretty good offensive line as they gel and grow together,” adding that consistency will eventually restore Mahomes’ confidence in the pocket.
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