Be it false modesty, a genuine respect for Mahomes’ individual accomplishments, or desire to help the Chiefs quarterback avoid unfavorable comparisons, Brady quickly shifted the conversation in a different direction.

‘All I tried to be was the best I can be,’ he told McAfee.

Tom Brady (left) and Patrick Mahomes (right) are pictured together in Las Vegas in 2022

‘I could never be Steve Young; I can never be Joe Montana,’ Brady said, dropping the names of his favorite 49ers quarterbacks when he was growing up in California in the 1980s and early 1990s.

‘I can never be Dan Marino or John Elway,’ he continued, referring to the retired Dolphins and Broncos legends, respectively. ‘These are my childhood idols. And they had incredible careers and they put as much as they could into their career and I really respect that. And I just try to do the same thing.

‘And believe me, if anyone can go out there and win seven Super Bowls, I have so much respect for them. I understand how difficult it is. I’m going to congratulate them and give whoever it is a big hug.’

The two have similar statistics, granted that 28-year-old Mahomes has played in only 96 games compared to the 46-year-old Brady’s 335. Obviously Brady as the 7-to-2 edge in Super Bowl wins, while Mahomes has averaged 296.1 yards a game for his career, compared to 266.3 for the retiree.

Brady, of course, retired as the NFL’s all-time leader in touchdown passes (649), completions (7,753), and passing yards (89,214).

Most importantly, Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat Mahomes’ Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.

Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV

He did make it clear that he respects Mahomes and enjoys watching him play.

And after the Chiefs’ AFC Championship victory in Baltimore on Sunday, Brady texted one Chiefs player, telling him to pass along some congratulations to Mahomes.

‘I texted my friend who plays with Pat after the game, and I just said ‘tell him congrats, and it’s awesome to watch him play and I love watching him lead his team.,’ Brady said.

While promoting his newly merged wellness brand, No Bull, Brady went on to discuss his affinity for teamwork, business, and the challenge of working together.

‘And of all the things I love, I love leadership and people that are selfless,’ he said. ‘I hate selfish teammates and I hate being around people that are self-serving, always trying to create their own self-serving narrative about who they are.

‘I love teams. I love team sports. I love celebrating success with other people. And the businesses I’m apart of, whether that’s being a part of the Fox broadcast team, I know that I’m just playing one role, whether it’s being part of No Bull, I know I’m playing one role. I need a lot of other teammates that help me come in and be successful.

‘And I embrace that. There’s so many things I’m not good at. There’s so many things I don’t know. I get to be around people that are the best in the world at what they do. And I get to learn from them.’

Brady concluded the discussion by saying he hopes he has ‘a long life ahead.’

McAfee quickly interjected: ‘We assume you’re never gonna die, Tom.’

Brady then assured him: ‘That’s gonna happen.’