The last time an NFL postseason did not feature the names Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, or Patrick Mahomes was in the previous century, an era when theGreen Bay Packers and Denver Broncoswere the league’s defining powers. That same reality will resurface in 2025, following the Kansas City Chiefs’ playoff elimination on Sunday, compounded by the devastating injury suffered by quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The world has changed dramatically since that moment in time. That year marked the founding of Google, the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal dominated U.S. politics, Viagra received FDA approval, Titanic swept the Academy Awards, and Harry Potter was released in the United Kingdom.
In the NFL, John Elway led the Broncos to victory over Brett Favre’s Packers in Super Bowl XXXII, just one year after Drew Bledsoe fell short against Green Bay on the sport’s biggest stage.
In 1998, Tom Brady was merely a name on NFL scouting reports. The Michigan quarterback completed a season with 2,217 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Mahomes was only three years old, while Peyton Manning was living his rookie season with the Indianapolis Colts, following his final year at Tennessee. Few could have imagined how quickly – and profoundly – their names would come to define the NFL.
The legacy of Manning, Brady, and Mahomes
Time spares no one, and the unexpected is part of sports. Mahomes learned that lesson this weekend when teammates helped him off the field before medical tests confirmed the worst:surgery on his left knee that will sideline him for nine to twelve months, effectively putting the era of a quarterback who reshaped the history of Kansas City on pause after leading the franchise to three Super Bowl titles.
The injury mirrors the one suffered by Brady – fittingly, both endured a torn ACL in their ninth NFL season. Now a broadcaster and entrepreneur, and the owner of seven Super Bowl rings, Brady reached out to Mahomes with a message of encouragement, emphasizing patience and perspective during recovery.
The only thing you can do is focus on what’s ahead and not look back and say, ‘Well, this is part of what my career is going to be,’
Brady said during an interview on SiriusXM: “A lot of people have been through it, and a lot of people have come out the other side. You just have to be extremely diligent in the rehab process. I think the faster you rehab, the faster you get back to playing the sport you know you love.”
As Mahomes begins his recovery, the NFL will experience its first postseason without one of the surnames that defined a dynasty – an era in which quarterbacks ruled the league and having Manning, Brady, or Mahomes virtually guaranteed a playoff spot and, in many cases, a legitimate shot at the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Now, with the gods temporarily absent, the stage is set for new names to rise.
