Patrick Mahomes held private Tom Brady talks ahead of AFC Championship Game

28 January 2023 , 20:10

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Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes faced off in Super Bowl LV, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers triumphing (Image: Getty Images)

Patrick Mahomes reached out to NFL icon Tom Brady for advice ahead of the AFC Championship Game between his Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers were comprehensively defeated 31-14 by the Dallas Cowboys to end his 23rd NFL season. Brady doffed his cap to the fans and kissed his parents before disappearing down the Raymond James Stadium tunnel, suggesting his time in Florida is over after three years.

The 45-year-old is rumoured to be considering retiring as he heads into the offseason. He is the most decorated postseason player in NFL history, having won a record seven Super Bowl titles and 35 playoff wins during an illustrious career.

Brady has also proved to be a thorn in the side of Mahomes during his relatively young career, particularly in the playoffs. Brady defeated the Chiefs with New England in the 2018 AFC Championship Game, while also crushing Mahomes and co. after moving to the Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV.

Those pair of agonising postseason defeats gave Mahomes a first-hand account of how prepared Brady is for the biggest games. To prepare for Burrow and the Bengals, Mahomes revealed he has spoken with Brady as he seeks a third trip to the Super Bowl.

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“I talked to Tom a little bit, I have a good relationship with him now and he gives me a lot of advice,” Mahomes said to ProFootballTalk.com . “Why would you not want to learn from the GOAT?

“Any time anybody like that wants to give me advice I’ll take it in. It’s cool to see the guys you’ve watched growing up, your whole life, be able to talk to you.”

Patrick Mahomes led the Kansas City Chiefs past the Jacksonville Jaguars last week despite suffering a high ankle sprain (Ed Zurga/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

Mahomes - the 2018 MVP and favourite to take home this year’s award - has led the Chiefs to hosting the AFC title game at Arrowhead Stadium in each of the last five seasons, including the run to his sole Super Bowl win in 2020. Earlier this week, Brady commented on the 27-year-old’s mental toughness.

“He’s a tough guy and I told him this the other night,” Brady said on his ‘Let’s Go!’ podcast when joined by Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. “That's what champions are made of at the end of the day.

“I really respect Patrick for how he came out there in the second half and how p***ed he was when he got taken out by coach Reid.”

The Chiefs welcome Burrow and the Bengals - who won the AFC North before defeating the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills in the playoffs - to Arrowhead Stadium for the AFC Championship Game on Sunday night.

Andrew Gamble