Tom Brady announced his retirement last week, capping off the greatest career in NFL history. The 7 time Super Bowl-winning quarterback was a cornerstone for the NFL for the last 22 years but now I take a look at 3 players who might be the face of the league for years to come:
Patrick Mahomes has consistently been in the conversation for the best quarterback in the league since getting drafted by the Chiefs out of Texas Tech. His accuracy and ability to maneuver in the pocket with ease among other things show that he is the top quarterback in the league. Mahomes has broken a lot of records with only having completed his 4th year in the league. Here are some of the records that he has broken.
Became the highest-paid player in NFL History by signing a 10 year, $503 million dollar contract extension.
Became the youngest quarterback ever to be named Super Bowl MVP when the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV.
He joined Hall of Famers Peyton Manning and Dan Marino I’m throwing for over 4,000 passing yards.
Mahomes has a hall of fame career this early and will be only getting better from here. With Andy Reid, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce among others on the Chiefs, Mahomes will have enough to be the face of the league.
Out of the University of Pittsburgh, Donald was meant for great things. His quick speed off the snap and ability to shred thru offensive lines with absolute ease makes him the main focus for offenses to prepare for. In the last few seasons, no other defensive tackle has done what Donald has done. Donald leads the NFL in sacks since his rookie season with 98 sacks. The three times defensive player of the year has shown a lot in his seven years in the NFL, especially how he is a commanding leader of the defense that can turn the momentum around with ease. Here are some of the records Donald has broken since his rookie season.
Since 2014, Donald’s 16 games with at least two sacks is tied for second behind J.J. Watt, who has 17. But Donald has more three-sack games in that time than Watt or any other player with five.
Only Donald and Chandler Jones have had two 4-sack games in the last seven seasons. You may remember that Aaron Donald had four sacks against Alex Smith and the newly named Washington Commanders in 2020.
Donald’s 285 career solo tackles is the second-most in that time among defensive tackles (20+ ahead of Damon Harrison) and Donald is fifth in total tackles.
So it’s not tough to see why Donald is the best defensive player in the league and arguably one of the best players in the league and is the cornerstone for the Rams defense for many years to come.
Former Heisman winning running back out of the glorious University of Alabama has been unstoppable since he entered the league in 2016. His ability to tear thru the line has Marshawn Lynch-like tendencies. He has a powerful speed with no intentions of slowing down, with an offensive player of the year award in his resume. He is showing that running backs are working towards a hit-hard hit often mentality. In 6 years he averages around 1,000 rushing yards a season with a total of almost 7,000 career rushing yards since 2016 most in the league among running backs since then. If he can stay healthy, Henry will be considered one of the best running backs when his career is over. Here are some of the records that he broke so far.
Henry is the second player in NFL history to record multiple games with 100 rushing yards and three touchdowns within his team’s first five games. The only other player to do so was Jim Brown in 1958.
Over the last 40 games, Henry has 4,792 rushing yards which are more than any player in NFL history over a 40-game span. The Titans have relied heavily on Henry’s ability to wear down opposing defenses.
That being said, I feel like it’s safe to say that while Brady will be wildly missed around the league that anyone has a chance to be the face of the NFL for years to come.
