Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, or Joe Burrow – who is Tom Brady’s pick for best QB of 2024?

Patrick Mahomes is a marked man ahead of the 2024 season. As his Kansas City Chiefs seek an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl victory, other quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow are feeling the need to level up to prevent him from doing so.

Who between them will prove the reigning Super Bowl MVP’s biggest threat? Speaking to Stephen A. Smith during Fanatics Fest NYC over the weekend, Tom Brady said (Timestamp: 54:24):

“I think it’s still the Bills or the Bengals, just because I think the quarterback play. … They’re right up there, OK, but I would say they’re exceptional. I just (think) the Ravens have to be more successful in the postseason for me to feel like they’re right there. The Bengals have made a Super Bowl. The Bills have been in championship games.”

Who are Patrick Mahomes’ other major threats besides Josh Burrow and Lamar Jackson?

In that same interview, Tom Brady mentioned Josh Allen, but his chances of credibly challenging Patrick Mahomes are small given the diminution of the Buffalo Bills’ receiving corps. Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis have left for AFC South teams in the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars, respectively, leaving Khalil Shakir, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Curtis Samuel, and Keon Coleman to fill the void.

As far as the Texans, Diggs’ arrival makes them a formidable contender, as he joins forces with Nico Collins, Tank Dell and tight end Dalton Schultz to form a monstrous receiving corps for C.J. Stroud.

And sticking to the AFC South, another sleeper foe is Tennessee Titans sophomore Will Levis, who has his own monstrous receiving corps to feed: DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley, Tyler Boyd and tight end Chig Okinkwo. And that team also has Mahomes’ former teammate L’Jarius Sneed leading the division’s most talented secondary, one that also boasts former Seattle Seahawks Pro Bowlers Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs.

And that is not to mention the two other AFC East candidates in the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, who each have strong cores on both sides of the ball.

Moving to the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers have managed to keep most of their roster intact, from quarterback Brock Purdy to safety Talanoa Hufanga. The Detroit Lions, meanwhile, are looking to build on a historic season that saw them clinch their first division title, playoff wins and conference title game appearance since the days of Barry Sanders. And Jared Goff has a titanic quartet of Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta to work with.

In the NFC East, the Philadelphia Eagles have upgraded their offense by bringing in Saquon Barkley, whom they hope will form a monstrous ground duo with dual-threat quarterback Jalen Hurts. In the air, they still have wideouts DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown and tight end Dallas Goedert, as well as a stacked offensive line that boasts Pro Bowlers Lane Johnson and Landon Dickerson.

The biggest threat from the NFC South is the Atlanta Falcons, who massively upgraded their quarterback room by signing Kirk Cousins in free agency, then drafting Michael Penix Jr. eighth. Both of them will have a monstrous offensive corps to work with as well: running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, wide receivers Drake London and Darnell Mooney and tight end Kyle Pitts, all enabled by a burgeoning offensive line that boasts Pro Bowlers Jake Matthews and Chris Lindstrom.

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