Patrick Mahomes is on a better career pace than Tom Brady.

So no matter what happens during the upcoming 2024 NFL season, Mahomes is already a near-lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and owns three Super Bowl rings that can’t be taken away.

6Patrick Mahomes already has three trophies and is looking to add to his collectionCredit: Getty

“Patrick Mahomes has already had tremendous success playing the position at such a young age,” Warner, an NFL Network analyst, exclusively told talkSPORT.

The Kansas City Chiefs are eyeing a historic trophy three-peat, hoping to become the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowl titles.

Dak Prescott, Jared Goff and Brock Purdy are hoping to get in Mahomes’ way in the NFC.

The climb back to the top of the AFC is even tougher.

Baltimore, Buffalo, Miami, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Houston all recorded at least 10 wins last season, and are hoping to knock off the back-to-back Chiefs this year.

Here is talkSPORT’s look at the five AFC QBs most likely to dethrone Mahomes in 2024.

5. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets

Counting against Rodgers is the fact that he’s 40 years old and barely played last season.

In his corner: Four NFL MVPs, one Super Bowl trophy, 10 Pro Bowl selections and one of the best arms in NFL history.

The Jets were one of the most disappointing teams in the league last year.

talkSPORT ranks the NFL Super Bowl contenders as Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City Chiefs go for historic three-peat but Lamar Jackson’s Ravens eye revenge

This season is supposed to be completely different, with a healed Rodgers having a ton to prove — and doing it all during an election year.

If he can get back to the best of his Green Bay days, Rodgers could win a fifth MVP and reclaim his place as an elite NFL QB.

6It’s been a while since Aaron Rodgers played in an NFL gameCredit: Getty4. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

No one tops Joe Cool when it comes to average annual value.

The modern face of the Bengals is averaging a whopping $55 million a year, which is tied with Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love for the most in the NFL.

After leading LSU to a perfect season in 2019, the former Ohio high school star became the No. 1 overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Burrow has already been to the Super Bowl and has become one of the main AFC rivals for Mahomes.

Like Rodgers, a healthy Burrow is due for a big bounce-back year in 2024.

6Joe Burrow has a new outlook in 2024Credit: 2024 Getty Images

3. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Allen is unquestionably the Bills’ franchise QB. But will he carry Buffalo where Jim Kelly couldn’t reach?

Kelly made four Super Bowls during the Bills’ glory days in the 1990s.

Allen is still aiming for his first big game.

Allen has impressed since entering the NFL in 2018 as a risky No. 7 overall pick out of Wyoming.

He’s already reached the playoffs in five seasons and Buffalo is again a Super Bowl contender.

But there’s still another level that Allen can reach and he must get there if he’s going to eventually replace Kelly as the best QB in Bills history.

That starts with topping Mahomes in 2024.

6Josh Allen is trying to get past Patrick Mahomes this season

Credit: Getty2. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans

The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year made Deshaun Watson forgettable in Houston and suddenly turned the Texans cool again, completing 63.9 percent of his passes for 4,108 yards, 23 TDS and a 100.8 rating.

Stroud only became sharper as the year progressed, leading the NFL with 273.9 passing yards per game and propelling the remade Texans to a 45-14 home blowout win over the Cleveland Browns in an AFC Wild Card contest.

After a 3-4 start and a frustrating 15-13 road loss to Carolina in Week 8, the Texans finished on a 7-3 run and claimed the AFC South.

Stroud finished eighth in NFL MVP voting and made the Pro Bowl, and will enter a new season as one of the most exciting players in the league.

He’s not on Mahomes’ level — yet.

“He can make any throw on the field, and his timing and his accuracy and his decision making are pretty incredible,” John McClain, who’s covered the NFL for 48 years in Houston and is a Pro Football Hall of Fame voter, exclusively told talkSPORT

6C.J. Stroud is coming off a huge rookie yearCredit: Getty1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Jackson has already won two MVPs and he’s become the face of the Ravens, despite not being picked until the final selection (No. 32 overall) during the first round of the 2018 draft.

Since then, Action Jackson has changed the way the QB position is played and has turned “dual threat” into an asset instead of a hindrance.

He also now has Derrick Henry to help carry the weight in Baltimore.

Jackson must beat Mahomes when it matters — in the playoffs — and that’s been a serious problem.

“He just really has remarkable s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s and then it feels like when he gets to these postseason appearances … I would describe it as trying to do too much,” Kyle Goon, sports columnist for The Baltimore Banner, exclusively told talkSPORT.

“Trying to be a superhero in the game and just trying to overextend his considerable abilities.”

Rodgers, Burrow, Allen, Stroud and Jackson are staring up at Mahomes in 2024.

To reach the Super Bowl in New Orleans, someone must dethrone Mahomes.

6Lamar Jackson knows the time is now for BaltimoreCredit: 2024 G Fiume