ss No one expected the MVP debate to take this turn. With just one short but loaded statement — “Patrick Mahomes is not the past” — Tom Brady directly fired back at ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky and instantly ignited a firestorm across the NFL

Tampa, Florida – December 19, 2025
NFL discourse erupted this week after ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky ignited backlash with a blunt assessment of the 2025 MVP race, suggesting that “Patrick Mahomes is just the past now.” The comment, made amid growing debate over the league’s most valuable player, quickly spread across social media — and it didn’t take long for one voice to rise above the noise.

That voice belonged to Tom Brady.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion and widely regarded greatest quarterback of all time publicly pushed back against Orlovsky’s remarks, offering a firm and pointed defense of Mahomes — a player Brady has long praised as the standard of the modern NFL.

“That’s not how greatness works,” Brady said when asked about the comment. “You don’t erase someone’s impact, dominance, or value because of one season, one injury, or one narrative. Patrick Mahomes is not the past. He’s still the benchmark.”

.@danorlovsky7 is putting Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford neck-and-neck to win the NFL MVP ✍️ pic.twitter.com/H5P0eUn2JC— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) December 15, 2025

Orlovsky’s take came during a heated MVP discussion, where he argued that the league has moved on from Mahomes and that other quarterbacks now define the race. The phrasing struck a nerve, especially given Mahomes’ season being disrupted by injury — a context many fans and analysts felt was conveniently ignored.

Brady, who knows better than anyone what it means to endure injuries, late-career skepticism, and shifting narratives, emphasized perspective over reaction.

“I’ve been there,” Brady added. “People are always ready to crown the next guy and bury the last one. But real value isn’t erased by circumstance. It’s built over time — and Patrick has earned that respect.”

Mahomes’ résumé remains unmatched in the current era: multiple MVPs, three Super Bowl titles, and a decade of sustained excellence that reshaped how the quarterback position is played. Brady noted that judging Mahomes through the lens of a single turbulent season ignores the broader truth of what defines MVP-level impact.

Around the league, Brady’s comments resonated deeply. Many saw them not just as a defense of Mahomes, but as a reminder of how quickly narratives can turn in modern sports media — especially when debates are driven by immediacy rather than legacy.

While Mahomes has yet to respond publicly, his teammates and coaches have echoed similar sentiments internally, emphasizing that championships, leadership, and preparation don’t disappear overnight.

For Brady, the message was clear and deliberate. MVP races come and go. Opinions shift weekly. But true greatness, he argued, doesn’t expire on a television segment.

“The league hasn’t moved past Patrick Mahomes,” Brady said. “The conversation just forgot who set the standard in the first place.”

As the 2025 season barrels toward its conclusion, the debate over MVP will continue to evolve. But thanks to Brady’s intervention, one thing has been firmly reestablished: Patrick Mahomes’ place in the NFL is far from history — it’s still very much the present.