One of the top NFL quarterbacks of the 21st century believes that Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes is past his prime, heading into his age-30 season.

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In the olden days, most NFL quarterbacks were practically finished by the time they reached their early or mid-30s. But advancements in science, medicine, diet and workout programs have allowed professional athletes to age like fine wine, namely Tom Brady, Novak Djokovic, LeBron James and Sidney Crosby.

Patrick Mahomes hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down whatsoever, but one future Hall of Fame inductee thinks the three-time Super Bowl champion is already past his best-before date.

During the latest episode of his “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger podcast,” former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger stated that he’d take “prime” Aaron Rodgers (who signed with the Steelers last month) over Mahomes. The two-time Super Bowl champion took it a step further by saying that Mahomes isn’t in his prime anymore:

“Well, I would take Aaron in his prime over Patrick now. I think Aaron Rodgers in his prime was one of the top few to ever do it — and so is Patrick Mahomes at his prime. Patrick Mahomes is just entering out of his prime, I think.”

Mahomes didn’t have his best statistical season in 2024, sure. He threw 26 touchdowns against 11 interceptions and averaged just 245.5 passing yards per game, the worst mark of his career.

But the Chiefs didn’t need Mahomes to rack up the stats the way he did in his first MVP-winning season in 2018. He won 15 of his 16 regular-season starts and led KC to a third straight Super Bowl appearance, losing 40-22 to the Philadelphia Eagles.

So yes, it’s probably a stretch to say Mahomes is past his prime.

Patrick Mahomes Went 3-0 Against Ben Roethlisberger

Patrick Mahomes (Photo By Denny Medley-Imagn Images)
Mahomes went a perfect 3-0 in head-to-head matchups with Ben Roethlisberger’s Steelers, winning the 2018 and 2021 regular-season meetings before sending “Big Ben” off to retirement with a blowout win in the 2021 AFC Wild Card Round.