Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Patrick Mahomes has his sights set on being the greatest NFL quarterback in history after he led his side to a remarkable Super Bowl victory.
Mahomes clinched his second Super Bowl ring as he led the Chiefs back from 10 points down at half-time, throwing three touchdowns as his team defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in Glendale, Arizona on Sunday.
Mahomes, 27, joins Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Eli Manning and Terry Bradshaw as quarterbacks who have won two Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards in a Super Bowl.
But Reid suggested that Mahomes, whose father Pat was a professional baseball player, has even higher ambitions.
"He grew up in a locker-room and he has seen the greats and he strives to be the greatest," Reid said. "Without [him] saying anything, that is the way he works. He wants to be the greatest player ever, that is what he wants to do and he goes about his business and does it humbly."
Mahomes became only the 13th starting quarterback to win more than one Super Bowl ring. He also became the 11th player to win the Super Bowl and league MVP in the same season and the first to do so since 1999.
The 64-year-old Reid said that after they left the field he had told Mahomes how much he appreciated his approach.
"I told him I love him, I am proud of him for leading the way there. He is a humble kid and works his tail off and as a coach you respect everything that he does there," he said.
Mahomes completed 21 of 27 passes, throwing for three touchdowns, 182 yards and no interceptions. Reid said those kind of numbers, like others he has produced in his career, could go to a player's head but not in the case of the Texan.
"There is no bragging. He could stand here and give you the stats he has that are incredible but he doesn't do that," he said, noting that he has an ability that cannot be quantified in numbers.
"When it is time for the guys around him to raise their game he helps them with that. The great quarterback make everyone around them better, including the head coach," he added. "He has done a heck of a job."
Mahomes has battled against the pain of an ankle injury throughout the post-season, including the Super Bowl but the quarterback said there was never a thought of pulling out of the game.
"I felt really good until I reaggravated it a little bit," Mahomes told reporters. "You're in the Super Bowl - you can worry about getting it healthy in the off-season. So I fought through."
Tight-end Travis Kelce, whose brother Jason played in the losing Eagles team, said Mahomes had shown his fortitude.
"Toughest son of gun you ever met, man," he said. "That Texas gunslinger ain't going to let nothing get in the way."
