Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes: 'I don't think I'll ever truly believe' Tom Brady is retired

One couldn't blame Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes for not obsessively reflecting on the career of Tom Brady after the fellow signal-caller initially retired early last month. As Jeremy Willis noted for ESPN, Mahomes and longtime partner Brittany Matthews were quite busy finalizing plans for their wedding that occurred the same weekend Brady confirmed via social media posts he was returning for at least one more season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Per Pete Sweeney of Arrowhead Pride, Mahomes recently chatted with Yahoo's Brian Sozzi and explained he didn't have time to envision an NFL without Brady in the league as an active player. 

"I don’t think it even really [sunk] in that he was retired before he was coming back," Mahomes remarked. "I was having the wedding going on and all that different type of stuff, so before I even realized he retired, he was back, and I think that’s how Tom has always been. Until I see that there’s an NFL game played, and he is not in the league, I don’t think I’ll ever truly believe he’s retired." 

The one-time regular-season and Super Bowl Most Valuable Player also praised the seven-time champion but not just for all he's accomplished during his legendary career. 

"I want to play as long as they’ll let me," Mahomes added. "I know that will take me taking care of my body, me continuing to build my family the right way and making sure those relationships are always great before football, and I think Tom’s done that in the right way. You can see how close he is with his family, but as well, how much he gives to football every single day. It’s a great model. If you want to play for a long time and have a lot of success, you got to do a lot of the same things that he’s done, taking care of his body on and off the field." 

Also during the conversation, Mahomes commented on the league's new overtime rules for playoff games that provide both teams with opportunities for offensive possessions during extra periods. 

"Your job is to find a way to win the game, no matter how long it takes," he said.